No Good Deed
by Ardwolf
Summary: Shaking the pillars of heaven is all very heroic, and can pay extremely well. But Malcolm Reynolds always suspected surviving the rain of debris afterward separates the truly mighty from the merely squished and icky… Sequel to Lost In The Woods.
1. Ch 01 The Empty Sky

Sequel to _Lost In The Woods_

_Shaking the pillars of heaven is all very heroic, and can pay extremely well. But Malcolm Reynolds always suspected surviving the rain of debris afterward separates the truly mighty from the merely squished and icky..._

This takes place following the events of _Lost In The Woods_. Although part of the story occurs in the _Star Trek:TNG _universe this is not a crossover, it is primarily a Firefly story.

It helps if you're familiar with Firefly (If you aren't, go buy the series on DVD and the movie! Seriously! _Good _stuff.)

As for the Chinese used in the story, well, go look it up. :) That's what I did. Google the phrase "Firefly Pinyinary" for a good Firefly Chinese dictionary.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek (any of them, darn!), Firefly (double-darn!) or any of the characters, ships, or locations mentioned in this story. If I did do you think I'd be writing fan-fiction?

* * *

"Commander we've matched the vector Fleet HQ gave us. We will arrive at delta point zero in six minutes."

"Very good, helmsman. Telemetry, notify our guests and begin preliminary scans." The gray-clad commander stood ramrod straight, only the slightest frown betraying the resentment he was feeling. _Damn eggheads, why did Parliament see fit to send a cruiser to do a research vessel's job?_

_Dortmunder_ might one of the largest ships in the Alliance fleet, he reflected, but she wasn't designed with this kind of mission in mind. And he wasn't even sure what they were looking for. According to _Dortmunder's _radar there was nothing within a dozen light minutes in any direction. They were a good thirty hours past New Melbourne, their current course carrying them in-system past the orbit of Londinium--although the planet itself was currently on the other side of the sun.

"Sir, _Hippasus_ is requesting clearance to launch once we reach delta point zero." The radio operator said.

Commander Harken sighed quietly. _We're just a glorified pack mule _he thought ruefully. "Permission granted, inform _Hippasus _to hold her launch until _Dortmunder_ ceases active maneuvering."

"Aye aye, sir."

_And that's another thing. We're traveling at one hell of a clip too, over 3 AU per day. Nothing natural travels this fast, so why are we ferrying a research vessel like _Hippasus_? What could they possibly be looking for?_

"Commander Harken." A cool female voice spoke behind him. He felt his face smooth into a blank mask. Turning he spoke in a calm polite tone.

"Good afternoon, Madame Li." Neither tone nor expression betrayed the distaste he felt. The older woman radiated the calm arrogance of all Blue Sun board members. Her presence on his ship was another disquieting mystery--the board members of Blue Sun seldom left Sihnon, and always traveled in luxury aboard private yachts or chartered space liners. Even though _Dortmunder_ boasted a crew of over forty thousand and counted civilians among her complement she was still a naval vessel with all the austerity that implied.

The fact that Madame Li had come aboard accompanied only by her personal secretary (who, Harken had no doubt doubled as her bodyguard) was another worrying sign. It screamed clandestine power struggle.

_And lowly IAV commanders better keep out from under foot lest they be stepped on, _he thought to himself.

"I am informed we have reached our destination." The old woman watched him with sharp eyes, although she stood relaxed. He nodded.

"_Hippasus _should be launching momentarily, Madame Li. May I enquire how long we will stay on this vector? At our current speed we will leave the system entirely within fifteen days. Our fuel reserves have been significantly reduced. Eight days from now we will lose our last vector to a refueling port."

"Allow me to put your mind at ease, Commander. My scientists tell me all required data will be gathered no later than five days from now. This will give you ample time to reach a port for refueling, yes?" She smiled a small, frosty, and condescending quirking of the lips.

"Yes, Madame Li. Thank you." He hated himself for saying it, but the woman could break his career with a word.

"Commander." The telemetry officer broke in with urgency in his voice. "Radiation field off the starboard bow, thirty five degrees above our vector, closure rate of 150 meters per second. Recommend immediate course change."

Harken was about to order the helmsman to change course when a strong bony hand closed around his forearm.

"That is our target, Commander. Match velocity and maintain such distance as you consider prudent. Order the _Hippasus_ to launch."

Silently he nodded to the radio operator who relayed the launch authorization. "Helm, match velocities with the radiation field and maintain a distance of no less than one hundred kilometers."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Telemetry, give me a reading on that radiation field. How big is it? How strong? What's causing it?"

"Belay that order." The woman snapped suddenly. His telemetry officer looked at the old woman in surprise, and then turned to Harken.

"Madame Li that radiation field poses a threat to this ship and everyone on board. Should it change shape unexpectedly we could find ourselves engulfed without warning. I appreciate your need to maintain confidentiality but--"

"The _Hippasus_ will monitor the field, Commander. Rest assured I enjoy my life and have no interest in dying of radiation poisoning. By the order of the Parliament everything that happens from this point forward is classified top secret and need to know only. Do I make myself clear?"

"With respect, Madame Li I will require your Parliamentary authorization credentials before I allow you to issue commands to my crew in accordance with Naval Article 25." Harken spoke politely but firmly.

"Of course, Commander." Obviously anticipating his demand she produced a small device from her sleeve. Nodding he took it to a station and plugged it in. The station processed the data, and then approved her credentials.

"Madame Li, you are approved to assume strategic command of this vessel. However I must inform you that all tactical decisions remain with me. Should I perceive a danger to this ship I will countermand your orders and withdraw to a safe location or engage and neutralize a threat at my discretion. Do you understand this caveat to your command authority?"

"I do, Commander Harken. As I said, I am quite fond of my life. I have no intention of endangering this ship or her crew. Your expertise in daily operations goes without question." Madame Li nodded graciously, still radiating that supreme confidence that set Harken's teeth on edge.

"Then, Madame Li I relinquish strategic command of the _Dortmunder_ to you." He said the formal words with a twinge of pain.


	2. ch 02 The Price Of Discretion

"This court martial has convened to inquire whether the actions undertaken by Captain Jean-Luc Picard during his vessel's incursion into the parallel universe known hereafter as Alliance space constitute the crime of genocide given the unprecedented situation."

The gray-haired Admiral Nakamura paused, looking around the room. "Due to the gravity of the situation this court martial is being held _en banc _and open only to Star Fleet personnel on a need to know basis. All proceedings are classified and all participants are cautioned not to speak about the existence of Alliance space or any proceedings of this inquiry."

"Prosecutor Spaavok please read the charges levied against Captain Picard into the record."

A tall older Vulcan rose to his feet. "On Stardate 43295.6 the _Enterprise_ was hijacked and sent into the alternate universe known hereafter as Alliance space by Q, a member of the Q continuum."

"Data from the _Enterprise_ confirms the Alliance is a pre-warp civilization composed entirely of humans and exists in that universe's version of the Chara system. They have not yet discovered any sub-space related physics and do not possess faster-than-light communications or travel."

"The _Enterprise_ spent slightly over one month in Alliance space during which time Captain Picard committed a number of violations of Star Fleet General Orders as well as the crimes of kidnapping and genocide against a local sub-species of humans known as the Reavers. To the best of our knowledge Captain Picard succeeded in destroying every living member of that sub-species."

"Specifically and in detail, the prosecution is charging the captain of _Enterprise _with the following."

"First, that while in Alliance space Captain Picard did contact a ship named _Serenity_ and did deliberately reveal to her crew the existence of alien species and prohibited Federation technologies, thereby violating the Prime Directive."

"In addition, these revelations are in direct violation of General Order 4, which states if contact is made with hitherto undiscovered intelligent life forms, under no circumstance shall Starfleet personnel, either by word or deed, inform said life forms that worlds other than their own or intelligent life-forms other than their own exist outside the confines of their own space or answer questions by said life forms pertaining to the existence of other species outside said space."

"Second, that Captain Picard did violate General Order 13 which states except when orders state to the contrary or in accordance with General Order 6, Starfleet personnel will respect the territorial integrity of independent planetary systems and governments within and without the confines of the Federation's borders, and will not violate territorial space belonging to such worlds."

"The Alliance is the duly authorized governing body within the alternate Chara system. Once it was established that the entire Chara system constituted Alliance territory Captain Picard failed to order the withdrawal of _Enterprise _from the Chara system as demanded by General Order 13."

"Third, that after failing to withdraw from the Chara system Captain Picard ordered _Enterprise_ to engage the Reaver fleet which consisted of some three hundred vessels carrying 3,418 sentient life forms. Yet the Reaver fleet consisted entirely of sub-light vessels that did not possess even rudimentary shielding of any kind and could by no stretch of the imagination have been said to threaten _Enterprise. _Indeed, the Reaver fleet was entirely destroyed by the _Enterprise _in less than a minute's time. It is doubtful the fleet had even been aware of _Enterprise_ before she annihilated them using both photon torpedoes and a sustained phaser barrage."

"Fourth, that in committing this act Captain Picard killed every known member of the sub-species known as the Reavers, and did so without the authorization of General Order 14, which states Starfleet personnel may intervene in local planetary affairs to restore general order and to secure the lives and property of Federation citizens only upon receiving a direct order to do so from a civilian official with the effective title of governor or higher."

"Captain Picard received no such order. In fact the highest ranking member of the Alliance Captain Picard did contact was the captain of _Serenity_, one Malcolm Reynolds--a self-confessed smuggler and thief."

"Fifth, that Captain Picard, prior to the genocide of the Reavers did violate General Order 20 which states Officers and personnel of Starfleet Command may employ whatever means necessary to prevent the possession, transportation, sale, or commercial exchange of sentient beings held against their wishes within the boundaries of Federation space. This includes temporary violations of General Order 13, but not of the Prime Directive."

"Captain Picard kidnapped a crewmember of a Reaver vessel and restrained said Reaver against his will while conducting invasive medical procedures upon him. It was unanimously considered probable by witnesses _and even Captain Picard himself _this kidnapping precipitated the mass migration of the Reaver fleet from the outermost habitable planet toward the inner moon of Chara VI, known locally as New Melbourne."

"Finally, Captain Picard violated General Order 40 which states Star Fleet vessels will respond to force with equal force and no more. The Reavers had not attacked _Enterprise_ at the time Captain Picard ordered the fleet's destruction; in fact it is inconceivable the Reaver fleet was even aware of _Enterprise_ at all. Nor is it credible that the Reaver force represented any threat whatsoever to the _Enterprise_."

Having finished reading the charges Spaavok sat down. Captain Picard sat expressionless next to his Advocate while shocked silence filled the courtroom.

"Advocate Karras, how does your client answer the charges against him?" Admiral Nakamura asked gravely in the ominous silence.

"My client answers thus: that these charges are gross mischaracterizations of the facts." Picard's Advocate, an elderly and gnarled but still massive Klingon warrior stood and spoke in a booming voice, more appropriate to the Klingon High Council than a Star Fleet court martial. "Further, that his actions were the only possible response in the face of an impossible choice."

"My esteemed Vulcan colleague has chosen to highlight certain aspects of the facts to paint my client in the worst possible light. There is no dishonor in this, for the Prosecutor must make the accused seem evil incarnate to the eyes of the court. Is that not, after all, what Prosecutors do?" He grinned at Spaavok who returned his gaze impassively.

"However, my esteemed colleague _is _a Vulcan and thus while supremely logical and commendably conscientious in pursuit of his duties cannot comprehend the essence of this case. This case is not about cold fact alone; it is about heart, about the choices one must make when every choice leads to death."

"And there, I fear, no Vulcan can truly unravel the spoor. For it is not a choice of logic, but of heart. And Vulcans have suppressed their heart, leaving only cold hard facts."

"Therefore let us examine these facts Spaavok has set before us." Karras shifted his weight, moving in front of the table where Picard sat, his bulk hiding the seated human. It was a theatrical trick, but effective in drawing every eye to him instead of Picard. Karras spoke again.

"Spaavok says that Captain Picard contacted _Serenity_ and revealed to her crew the existence of aliens and forbidden Federation technology."

"I do not dispute this." This declaration caused several of the judges on the bench to stare at him in confusion.

"I do not dispute Captain Picard did in fact reveal aliens to the crew of _Serenity_, starting with his ship's Councilor Deanna Troi, a half-Betazed empath and Worf, son of Mohg, a Klingon."

"I _do_ dispute Captain Picard violated the Prime Directive _or _General Order 4. While it is undeniable the Alliance does not possess warp drive the Alliance consists entirely of humans--_twenty-seven light years from Earth_." He paused, letting that fact sink in. "Further according to the crew of _Serenity _the entire population of Earth migrated to the Chara system after Earth became uninhabitable. This is a feat we of the Federation would be hard pressed to duplicate, especially with only the resources of one world!"

"It is clear the Alliance possesses the technology for crossing respectable interstellar distances and therefore there is some question as to whether the Alliance should be considered a primitive civilization. While they do not possess sub-space technologies they surpass the Federation in other areas, such as artificial gravity and terraforming. Given this the Alliance cannot be regarded as a primitive civilization."

"I would also draw your attention to the fact Captain Picard did not choose _Serenity_ at random. Q, for his own inscrutable reasons, placed _Enterprise_ where she was sure to cross paths with _Serenity_. Further, Captain Picard had the expert opinion of his empath that _Serenity's _crew would not willingly deal with the authorities."

"Spaavok has slyly alluded to the fact Malcolm Reynolds is a thief and a smuggler. This appears to be the case--and yet he is _also_ a man of honor, as witnessed by his behavior while dealing with _Enterprise_. From what I have gathered, I would have no hesitation in trusting Malcolm Reynolds to keep his word."

That provoked reactions from several of the massed judges. Everyone in the room knew how fiercely Klingons valued honor, and Karras was no exception. His reputation was above reproach.

"Therefore Captain Picard was in no way remiss in his actions. To protect his ship and crew he needed a local source of information that would keep _Enterprise _hidden from the Alliance itself. He acted with discretion, in both senses of the word."

"If the Alliance is an advanced civilization neither the Prime Directive nor General Order 4 obtain--and even if they did who would believe the stories told by _criminals_? Bar room tales no different than you'll find on a hundred Federation worlds. There was no interference with Alliance civilization, they remain blissfully unaware _Enterprise _was ever there."

"As for Spaavok's second charge that _Enterprise_ did not withdraw from the Chara system, well, where could she have gone? A destroyed Earth? Vulcan? Do non-humans even exist in Alliance space?" Karras spread his hands.

"I submit that Captain Picard acted correctly, the safety of his ship demanded he stay in the Chara system, despite General Order 13--which never envisioned a Federation starship stranded in an alternate universe. Captain Picard exercised his command discretion in the face of the unprecedented--something Star Fleet _demands_ of its captains.

"Now we come to Spaavok's third point and the real meat of the matter. I do not dispute that genocide is a horrific crime, even when viewed through the eyes of a Klingon such as myself. It smacks of cowardice and is an abomination. Striking a foe from hiding when you must is acceptable--wiping out an entire race is not, rather it is the height of _dishonor_." Karras' voice rang through the chamber, a basso growl that nearly shook the walls.

"I most certainly _do_ dispute that Captain Picard committed genocide. One fact Spaavok fails to mention is that Reavers are not, in fact, a sub-species of humanity. They are instead the result of a somewhat rare but otherwise harmless genetic mutation. Harmless, that is, until the synthetic serotonin analog called paxilon hydrochlorate is administered to the victim. In most humans, in low concentrations, it produces a mild lethargy. The Alliance was experimenting with the population on the outermost planet, seeking a mind-control drug to subdue their subjects."

"However, if you mix paxilon hydrochlorate with a pair of amino acids which occur naturally on that world the result is not apathy--it is a complete loss of will. The victim simply lies down and either dies of starvation or dehydration--except for those with the mutation. They become Reavers. In other words, they become murderous, hyper-aggressive psychopaths who do not scruple at the murder of infants and children, who in fact may rape a woman to death while their companions eat her alive. This is a _physiological _condition, not a mental one."

"Picture it. Thirty million people lay dying, unable to summon enough will to eat or drink. Three thousand psychotic homicidal killing machines are let loose into that population, stronger than Klingons, more single minded than a _targ_ in heat, seeking to kill and consume every normal human on the planet. Humans who just lay there and _let the Reavers kill and eat them_."

Several judges looked queasy. Rounding on the elderly Vulcan Karras lowered his voice.

"Such were the _sub-species_ Captain Picard destroyed. At the time _Enterprise _engaged the Reaver fleet they were 18 hours from striking the Alliance world of New Melbourne, with a population of 50 million people. This is the _migration_ Spaavok spoke of."

"As it happens, New Melbourne is a critical food source for the rest of the system. Had the Reavers possessed nuclear weapons on board the fleet flagship-and it is quite probable they did--the death toll could have been as high as twenty million--and the resulting radiation would have disrupted food shipments, triggering a wave of famines throughout the rest of the system in as little as three months time. Even with only small arms it is probably the death toll would have exceeded one hundred thousand--and those deaths would have been terrible. I, a Klingon warrior, say this. And I know _many_ ways to die."

Karras turned his glare on the assembled judges. More than one flinched.

"The prosecution's fourth point is that Captain Picard violated General Order 14--and I do not dispute this, for he did indeed act without the command of an Alliance governor or the equivalent. However he had incontrovertible evidence of the consequences of _not_ acting. He had eye witness accounts from the crew of _Serenity_, and the confirmation of Q, a being of vast knowledge and nearly limitless power. He also had the medical evidence gathered by his own chief medical officer."

"And _this_, ladies and gentleman, is where my esteemed colleague loses the trail. Vulcans abhor violence and the emotions that engender it. They banish such things from their lives. But in doing so they also banish the understanding of exactly what Captain Picard faced in making his decision to destroy the Reavers."

"Captain Picard acted to save a world from a horror none of us here can even fully imagine. He is a _hero_, one I am proud to defend here today. If you convict _him_ of genocide for the act of saving an entire world then you condemn the _Federation_ as nothing but a hollow shell, a collection of spineless Regulan bloodworms with no honor, and no place among civilized beings."

Several judges frowned at the hyperbole. Karras was well known for his forceful and often uncompromising positions but this was excessive even for him.

"Now we come to the kidnapping charge. Captain Picard used the _Enterprise_ to perform covert surveillance of the Reaver fleet. The first ship examined proved to have human remains tied to its hull, specifically seven victims of a Reaver raid--four men, two women, and a child, most probably a girl no older than seven Earth years. Further scans indicated this was not a fluke, several other ships also had corpses attached to their hulls."

He let the silence linger. More than one judge was visibly affected by the revelation.

"The Federation prohibits slavery and rightly so. No sentient creature should be owned by another, or be forced to share their owner's bed. How much worse then, when the slaver ties a living victim to the outside of his hull and lifts into space, _for the sole purpose of terrorizing future victims?_ How much worse when the slave will be used as _food_, torn apart and eaten while still alive? What of General Order 20 then? Ladies and gentlemen, Federation territory or not I submit Captain Picard was acting within the spirit of General Order 20 when he proceeded to beam one of the Reavers into his sick bay where the Reaver was rendered unconscious, restrained, and had blood samples drawn while medical scans were completed."

"So much for Spaavok's _invasive medical procedures_." Karras snorted. "May I also point out that in spite of the extraordinary security procedures taken one single Reaver nearly killed five heavily armed security guards? He in fact wounded Worf, son of Mohg _after_ sustaining several hits from the security team's phasers set to heavy stun. Later analysis showed it required 14 hits to down the Reaver--and that barely kept him unconscious long enough to be restrained."

"A single hit on heavy stun will render a normal human unconscious. A Klingon warrior in top condition can take two or at most three such hits before falling. And in both cases the victim will be unconscious for _hours_."

Karras smiled. "I would not have wished to face that Reaver in single combat even were I in the prime of my youth. Of course Prosecutor Spaavok did not see fit to highlight these facts to the court, an oversight I am _delighted_ to correct."

"Finally, concerning General Order 40, I submit to the court it is irrelevant. Captain Picard was not responding to an attack, he was eradicating a dire threat. Humans have myths of a place called Hell where evil humans are forced to spend their afterlife being tortured. I believe humans call the denizens who commit these tortures demons. Captain Picard prevented New Melbourne from becoming a living Hell, its population massacred by the closest analog to demons the Federation has ever encountered."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I submit that my version of events is a much more balanced view than that of Prosecutor Spaavok."

Karras sat down.

After a lengthy consultation among the judges Admiral Nakamura spoke.

"This court will now adjourn to consider both the charges and rebuttal. Court will reconvene at 0900 hours tomorrow so that the Prosecution may begin submitting evidence to support the charges against the accused. Until that time Court is adjourned." He banged the ancient gavel against the sound block, signaling the end of the day's proceedings.


	3. Ch 03 Cleaning House

The tall black man walked into the garden to meet his employer. His employer stood next to the edge of the garden, which overlooked the valley below. He waited politely until the other turned from his contemplation of the scenery.

"The winds of change are blowing my friend." The older man spoke quietly. He was dressed in the traditional Chinese robes of a mandarin, as most of the Parliament members from Sihnon did. "I have need of your services lest the tempest tear away all that we have built."

"I await your orders, as always." The black man stood calmly, his stance balanced and unconsciously graceful.

"It is needful that I speak of certain matters that I have not brought up before now. I trust you will not think ill of me for keeping secrets?"

"Knowing secrets does not concern me--keeping them does." The man said quietly. "If I needed to know before now I'm sure you would have told me."

The older man nodded.

"In the Parliament there are factions as you know. Some factions openly wield great power, while others prefer to work quietly. Thus we live in an ocean filled with different currents, some visible, some not." The oriental man's voice was pitched low to keep his words from going further than his companion's ears.

"Some factions do not view themselves so, believing their actions are those of individuals, others are part of a group and these groups take names their members feel align with their aims. Thus we name ourselves the Steady Hand, for we seek to preserve balance within the Alliance, and see to it that no faction dangerously disturbs the harmony of the whole."

The younger man nodded, knowing his employer was merely marshalling his thoughts.

"There is a faction known as the Guiding Light. You are aware of them?"

"Yes. They seek to expand the Alliance to the outer planets, and to improve mankind in general. The Steady Hand has supported them in the past--but has also been watching them carefully."

"Just so." The older man agreed. "The Guiding Light is very powerful but they work from the shadows, as we do. Their aim is certainly noble but has the potential to end in disaster, given some of their more ambitious projects. Have you heard of Miranda?"

The younger man thought a moment. "A failed colony world, was it not? Something went wrong with the terraforming efforts."

The older man shook his head. "No. That is the story circulated to the families of those who lost loved ones on Miranda, but that story was a kindly lie, to cover the truth. The Guiding Light was implementing one of their most ambitious projects on Miranda. Something went wrong. No, that is not strong enough. Something went _disastrously_ wrong. The Guiding Light had overreached their knowledge. The entire colony was lost--over thirty million people died."

He paused, turning back to look out into the valley again.

"The Guiding Light is powerful. As you know the Blue Sun corporation has many board members who are part of that faction. Thus the Guiding Light was able to erase most of the evidence of their monumental failure."

The older man fell silent, obviously debating how to continue. The younger man waited patiently.

"We of the Steady Hand even extended our own efforts--because we wished to preserve the Alliance. Had the truth become known it could very well have resulted in another civil war--one which would have pitted the Alliance against itself instead of the Independents. And that must not happen." He looked at his employee. "Do you understand?"

"Yes." The younger man nodded. "What is it you require of me?"

The older man smiled. "Patience, my young friend. There is more you must know. Had Miranda merely been the result of terraforming gone wrong it would have been a tragedy of epic proportions but it would not concern the Steady Hand. The truth is Miranda's terraforming did _not _fail. The planet is still habitable. You or I could stand in one of its cities this very moment should we choose to."

"I don't understand." The younger man said with a frown. "How did the colony die then?"

"The Guiding Light has great power, and great knowledge. Unfortunately, in this case their ambitions outraced their wisdom." The older man rested one hand on the marble railing in front of him.

"In the name of improving humanity the faction created a new drug, dispensed in the atmosphere. They were using it on Miranda." He turned to smile at the younger man but the smile was sardonic.

"They had tested it thoroughly, you understand. It was completely safe. Their aim was to reduce violence among the populace, to produce a superior society. Miranda was to be their crowning glory."

"Let me guess. The drug was not safe?" The younger man offered. The older man bit off a harsh laugh.

"Oh it was--they tested it extensively, with several hundred subjects. Except they didn't test it on _Miranda_." He looked at the younger man with an ironic expression. "Although it worked on Miranda as well--but much better than the Guiding Light desired."

"What do you mean?"

"On Miranda the drug didn't just reduce aggression--it reduced _everything_. People simply laid down wherever they happened to be and happily starved to death, or died of dehydration."

"_What_?" The normally unflappable black man gaped.

The older man nodded. "By the time the Guiding Light knew anything was wrong it was already too late. On Miranda, the effect of the drug is permanent once administered. Anywhere else the effect is temporary. Something about Miranda supercharged the drug--even faction members stationed on the planet were affected. No one on Miranda had the will to call for help--or to do anything at all."

"Within 12 hours the drug had circulated throughout Miranda's atmosphere and the entire population had been exposed. The Guiding Light didn't hear from their colony--or two separate expeditions they sent to find out what happened."

"Of course the drug was the primary suspect. Once mixed with air the drug will slowly break down. After a month no trace of the drug remains. So after two months the faction sent another ship, a research vessel. On board were the drug's primary development team. The faction had already started making preparations for damage control you see."

"The research vessel crashed, but was still able to radio in reports from the surface. That's why we know as much as we do. For a few days the team performed analysis and other tasks normally. But then members of the team began disappearing one by one. Two days later all contact with the transport was lost."

"The drug wasn't entirely gone?" The younger man guessed.

"That's what the faction thought at first. To avoid losing any more people they decided to quarantine the planet and placed a monitor in orbit to warn approaching ships away. They concocted the terraforming story as a cover. And there the story _should_ have ended."

The old man watched his companion expectantly. Obediently the younger man asked the question.

"Should have ended? There's more?"

"Yes. Reavers." The older man said quietly.

"Reavers?" The younger man's forehead crinkled in puzzlement. "What about them?"

"Six months passed uneventfully. The faction rotated the monitor ship in orbit around Miranda every two months--normal procedure for Alliance military assignments. The third ship was preparing to leave orbit having just been relieved by the fourth when it detected a large number of vessels launching from the planet's surface."

"I don't understand. I thought the entire populace had been killed." The younger man said.

The older man nodded. "So everyone had thought. The monitor radioed a report and tried to hail the approaching ships, which failed to respond. The monitor began continuous transmission to the Guiding Light as they'd been instructed to do if anything unusual happened. That's why we know what happened next."

"The two monitors were literally swarmed. One tried to break orbit but was chased down and boarded by Reavers. The faction has recordings of what happened next. Several hours of them. We now know in a tiny number of people the supercharged drug doesn't kill, it mutates the victim--into a Reaver."

"The monitors' crews didn't survive?" The younger man asked impassively. The older man shook his head.

"No. The Guiding Light kept track of the Reavers as their fleet orbiting Miranda grew larger. For obvious reasons the last thing the faction wanted was a military confrontation. That would have revealed Miranda to the system as a whole and certainly bring down the faction--and with it the Alliance itself."

"I tell you this so you understand how grave the danger is. The Steady Hand was taken by surprise. The development of the drug and the whole Miranda disaster were unforeseen. Fortunately for the Alliance the Reavers remained content to stay in orbit around Miranda and send small raiding parties against isolated ships and the occasional outlying colony. This poses no threat to our goals and is thus tolerable."

The younger man nodded his agreement. "You spoke of the winds of change. Has something happened?"

"You could say that." The older man's mouth twisted in a grimace the younger man knew was aimed at the situation.

"The Guiding Light uses operatives just as we do. They also have the resources of the Blue Sun corporation at their disposal. One of the more formidable of these resources are the Hunter-Killer class attack ships."

"Approximately one month ago two operatives of the Guiding Light were hunting an Academy experimental proto-operative who had escaped. They traced her to a tramp freighter named _Serenity_. They were onboard the Guiding Light's hunter-killer _Sa Shui Jiao _and had radioed that they were closing on _Serenity_ which had rendezvoused with another ship. They intended to either retrieve the proto-operative or destroy both ships if it appeared the proto-operative was being traded to another faction."

"That was the last transmission from the _Sa Shui Jiao_."

"A Hunter-Killer can run down and destroy any ship in space, including an Alliance cruiser." The younger man commented thoughtfully. "Have they located the ship yet?"

The older man shook his head. "They have not. Nor have we, nor detected any debris that might belong to the _Sa Shui Jiao_, _Serenity_, or this mysterious third ship."

"Intriguing but I do not see how it's related to the current situation." The young man commented in a polite tone.

"Nor would I--except the Guiding Light believes this proto-operative has knowledge of the Miranda incident. Given her current mental state and the fact she's remained out of sight for over a year she is unlikely to prove a threat to the Steady Hand. Our pursuing her might have brought the Academy to the attention of those in the Parliament inimical to our faction. Thus we have no interest in the girl."

"But as the Guiding Light had a more pressing need to hunt her we allowed them to do so, since their actions can't implicate us or reveal our Academy." He shrugged. "It was thought to be an economical solution that would harmonize relations with the Guiding Light. Now that they have lost the _Sa Shui Jiao_ it seems our caution was warranted."

"You suspect a _proto-operative_ destroyed a hunter-killer while on board a _freighter_? That seems--implausible."

"Agreed. I wouldn't entertain the idea at all--except for what happened forty-eight hours ago." The older man answered.

"It seems the Reaver fleet suddenly decided ten years of inactivity was enough. The entire fleet, some three hundred vessels suddenly decided to attack New Melbourne _en masse_."

The younger man's eyebrows shot up in spite of himself. "That is very bad."

"Yes." The older man nodded. "Very bad indeed. It could have wrecked the Alliance. Fortunately, Buddha smiled upon us all. The Reaver fleet was destroyed some 18 hours from New Melbourne. And when I say destroyed, I mean annihilated utterly. Every single ship's nuclear reactor detonated within a minute of each other. But it wasn't Alliance forces that did it."

"That's impossible." The younger man said after digesting the news. The older man nodded.

"Yes, it's completely impossible. But several monitoring stations caught the explosions. There is no doubt as to what happened--only as to why, how, and who."

"In addition the Guiding Light seems to have stepped out of the shadows because of the Reaver attack. They have used their influence to have _Dortmunder _ferry a science vessel to the remains of the Reaver fleet. As we speak the cruiser has matched vectors with the debris field and the science vessel has commenced its investigation. One final item to consider: Madame Li herself is on board the _Dortmunder_."

"Where do I come into the picture?" The young man asked.

"Because of the Reaver Fleet's departure and the disarray of the Guiding Light, Miranda is now unguarded. The risk of accidental exposure is too great. Our faction has determined the Guiding Light threatens the balance that holds the Alliance together." The older man's face turned grave.

"Remove the faction's top five leaders and the resulting chaos within their ranks will cause the Guiding Light to--go out." The older man watched his companion steadily. "This is not an easy assignment. You may fail. And if you do the Steady Hand must not be compromised. Do you understand?"

"Of course." The younger man bowed. Turning he strode from the garden. With a heavy sigh the older man returned to his contemplation of the valley.


	4. Ch 04 Party In The Black

Far below the plane of the ecliptic, over 30 light minutes from the rapidly retreating _Dortmunder_ a lone mid-bulk freighter slipped silently through the blackness of space, two weeks from the moon of Constance and half a dozen AUs from the nearest ship.

She was obviously old, her hull battered and dented, but she moved through space with a grace that belied her scarred appearance. If the Alliance had cared to watch the empty skies above and below the plane of the ecliptic the Firefly would have stood out like a bonfire atop a dark hill.

But no one traveled out of the plane of the ecliptic, there was nothing there and a ship would have to decelerate to a stop, and then accelerate along a new vector to reach its destination. This was far too wasteful of fuel, especially for a lone tramp freighter. Such ships operated on a razor thin profit margin and couldn't afford to waste _anything_.

But other than her odd vector she appeared to be just another Firefly, one of nearly forty-thousand similar ships that plied the trade routes, moving cargo between the planets and moons of the system.

But the heart of a ship is her crew. And the crew of this particular Firefly were gathered in the ship's dining room, celebrating their new-found good fortune.

"Pass the strawberries, please." Kaylee asked Inara. Smiling the Companion handed the fruit to the girl.

"How does it feel to be rich Kaylee?" She asked with a bright smile.

"Right pleasin', ma'am. But it _tastes _even better." The mechanic popped a plump red fruit in her mouth and chewed with eyes closed.

Jayne Cobb snorted. "Strawberries. Ask me a party oughta have booze--like this here. Best damn drink in the 'verse." He held up a bottle of Mudder's Milk.

Inara shuddered. "You do know that's basically liquid bread mixed with alcohol don't you Jayne?"

The mercenary stared at Inara, slightly cross-eyed. "Bread? Tain't _bread_. It's _beer_. Good beer too. Put hair on your chest." He paused, considering. "Well, not _your _chest obviously but my chest." He thumped his chest for emphasis.

Kaylee giggled, bending over quickly to save the pulp she hadn't swallowed yet. Inara shook her head good naturedly, glancing over at Mal, who had a curiously shaped bottle of brandy in front of him. It had been a parting gift from Captain Picard, slipped in among the final supplies _Enterprise _had left them. He was sharing small glasses of the brandy with Book and Simon.

River was watching Wash as he was telling his wife Zoe a story, all of them were laughing and having a good time. Inara felt relaxed--for the first time in over a year.

_Longer than that, _she thought to herself. _Ever since I found out I wasn't long for this 'verse. _She sighed contentedly and wiggled deeper into the couch. She found herself reflecting that _Enterprise_ had brought many miracles--technology bordering on magic, an impossible crew--many of them actual _aliens_, born under stars she would never see.

And it had brought one very personal miracle for Inara Serra herself, a cure for the incurable disease that had been slowly killing her.

No one on _Serenity _had known Inara was dying; she made very sure of that. Had anyone found out their pity would have driven her from the ship. And as crazy and dangerous as life aboard _Serenity _often was, this ship was a warm haven and a home to her.

_Unlike the Guild_, she thought to herself from the comfort of the worn couch she was ungracefully sprawled on. _I was even happy, I suppose. All those years. They weren't bad years. I really liked parts of it. But it wasn't home. Not like _Serenity_. _

None of the crew knew she'd gone to Dr Crusher in a last forlorn hope, not daring to believe--until the Federation doctor had cured her.

With three short treatments.

As far as _Serenity's _crew was concerned nothing had changed. Inara was as she had always been. But for _Inara_ it felt like being rescued from a collapsed building. The feeling of lightness inside her was like returning to childhood, the 'verse was filled with wonder all over again.

"Penny for your thoughts, 'Nara." Kaylee spoke up, watching the Companion quizzically.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about all the years I spent on Sihnon." Inara said smiling at her friend.

"Do ya miss it?" Kaylee asked leaning forward.

"Miss it?" Inara cocked her head. "No--no I don't think I do. Sihnon is beautiful, and peaceful. I enjoyed my time there, but I think I'm happier here on _Serenity_."

"Shiny." Kaylee broke in to one of her trademark smiles. "I always wondered what being a Companion was like. Not, you know, the clients, but the other stuff. You probably get asked about that a lot, huh?"

"Not really." Inara shook her head. "My clients are usually focused on the present. They tend not to dwell on the past. So what do you want to know?"

"Well, you started training young, right?"

"I was twelve when I came to House Madrassa. The Guild training starts off like any boarding school. You learn history and mathematics and language arts. There's music and dance and science and psychology. It's a very demanding curriculum. On top of that you're being steeped in Guild philosophy and even martial arts training. The Guild has very high standards."

"What happens to the girls who can't cut it?"

"Girls _and _boys." Inara corrected. "The Guild has been allowing men for nearly 30 years you know. The ones who can't make the grade are sent home. By the time I was 16 over half my classmates had either washed out or left voluntarily. Being a Companion isn't easy. The House makes sure children understand that as early as possible."

"Wow." Kaylee said, impressed. "So the early years are just schoolin'?"

Inara nodded. "A very demanding school. After an initiate's sixteenth birthday the training gets even harder. Self-defense classes add fencing, archery, and even firearms training. Music and dance concentrate on mastery, not just skill. You start learning the various ceremonies you'll use when dealing with clients, you start concentrating on politics and what we call the soft skills. How to listen. How to make a client feel better. The finer points of etiquette."

"What about, you know, the client--stuff." Kaylee paused, embarrassed.

"Why Kaylee, you're _blushing_." Inara teased the younger girl.

"Well--I don't wanna be nosy or nothin', but--" Kaylee said, her face red.

"I know--you're curious." Inara glanced over at Jayne, but he was concentrating on the story Wash was telling, ignoring the _girl talk_. Inara chuckled, thinking Jayne was going to be kicking himself for missing this particular conversation. Not that she was going to be particularly salacious but...

"You don't start the pleasure training until your eighteenth birthday. You start off by learning your own body, how to please yourself, what works for you and what doesn't. The Guild teaches children from the first day that being body shy is silly, so at least that part is easy."

"What about the--first--client?"

Inara smiled at Kaylee's wide eyes.

"My first client was a Guild member, obviously. As were the next dozen or more. They don't throw you into it cold, Kaylee. And they don't force you. It does get easier, of course."

"Wow." Kaylee looked like she didn't know if she should back off or try to brave it out. A bit like a fish gasping for air...

"Mal told me how the two of you met you know." Inara said gently. "Are you really that easily shocked?"

"Course not!" Kaylee rallied. "Though that day I have to say I was more interested in seein' the inside o' _Serenity_ than seein' Bester inside o' me!"

Inara couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. Kaylee grinned at her.

"Whatcha laughin' at?" Jayne asked, the thirty-proof beer starting to get to him. He blinked at them owlishly.

"Kaylee made a joke, Jayne. And you missed a _fascinating_ conversation." Inara caught his eye, using her training and tone of her voice to clue Jayne in on just how much he'd missed.

"Well, damn." Jayne said philosophically. Taking another swig of the turbo-charged beer he gave Inara a thoughtful look then turned back to listen to Wash. Kaylee started at Inara with wide eyes, shoulders shaking as she tried to keep her laughter quiet. Inara had had years of practice hiding her laughter, but she still rolled her eyes, though they were twinkling.

Over at the table Book addressed Mal.

"So, Captain. Any ideas on how you're going to keep your sudden wealth?" He asked as he sipped the brandy Mal had given him. He didn't drink ordinarily but considering this particular liquor had traveled ten times further than humanity ever had he thought the Lord wouldn't mind him having one small glass.

"Been thinkin' on that very subject, Preacher." Mal nodded. "I'm thinkin' it would be best to split it amongst different trustworthy folks and such. Maybe invest some. Hell, even convert some to Alliance credits, much as that thought chafes."

"How about you, son? You can't exactly put yours in a bank." Book asked Simon. Simon shook his head.

"I haven't really thought about it. River and I can't settle down obviously. If Captain Reynolds is amenable maybe I could use the same places he does."

"Not adverse." Mal admitted, feeling generous. "Course, findin' _that_ many trustworthy folk may be a mite difficult. How 'bout you Preacher? What are you going to do with your share?"

"I thought I might set up a trust fund. See me through my golden years. Maybe do some charity for those as need it." Book answered. "Then once I'm done with it the Abbey can have the rest. Surely could use it to make the lives of the poor a mite easier."

"I've heard worse plans for makin' your way through life." Mal said. _The brandy must be makin' me all mellow_ he thought to himself.

"Inara might know some folks that could help." Book said, deliberately casual. "That much money makes a loud noise when it moves around. Couldn't hurt to have powerful friends to help muffle the sound."

Mal looked at Book sharply, wondering yet again how a simple Sheppard knew so much about the rougher edges of Mal's business.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said mildly. "So what did you do aboard _Enterprise?_ I imagine a large chunk of them bein' aliens might have been cause for some deep thinkin'."

"If you're asking if my faith was shaken Mal, the answer is no." Book smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you. It actually made it stronger, seeing how God made thinking beings in so many different places. Not to mention multiple universes. I was surprised to discover how secular their culture is though. Apparently the Federation is very tolerant of religion, but a lot of folks don't feel the need. And those who do keep it personal. Although I did hear there are some religious communities tucked away here and there."

"Seems to me that fits with their Prime Direction thingie." Mal said thoughtfully. "Never did meet a bunch o' folk more determined to live and let live. I'm gonna miss that the next time I gotta deal with the purple bellies."

"Well, thanks to their generosity I'd say we won't have to deal with the Alliance for a good long time." Simon commented. "Dr Crusher was extremely helpful with River's diagnosis and treatment. No more raids on hospitals." He leaned back and sipped the brandy.

"Pity." Mal said with the sly grin. "I kinda enjoyed putting one over on the Alliance like that. But won't hurt my feelin's none to steer clear of trouble for a while. _Serenity's _all fixed up, hate to see her get busted up if'n we don't gotta."

"Here, here." Simon agreed, raising his glass. "I'd hate to see any of the _crew_ busted up, either. I really like staring at all the bottles in the infirmary knowing I won't have to use any of them."

"Why Doc," Mal commented grinning. "I do believe that was a joke. Might have to trade in that sourpuss for a new model, you keep that up."

"It's the brandy." Simon said. "_Good_ stuff. What's it called again?"

"Saurian brandy." Mal answered. "Comes from a planet a couple of hundred light years away, Captain Picard said." Mal blinked. "Oh yeah, and that planet's in another universe, come to think of it."

Over in the corner Wash was starting to wind down, Zoe was actually smiling and River was laughing. She stopped and then said very distinctly.

"Coyote said to say hello to you."

Wash and Zoe exchanged mystified looks.

"Gee, that's great. You're talking about Q, right?" Wash asked with a faintly worried look. River nodded.

"Coyote was very insistent." She confided in a low voice. "I think you're part of the favor he did us. He told me to tell you not to be a leaf on the wind. It isn't worth it, he said."

"Am I the only one here freaked out that a god-like alien leaves me a cryptic message?" Wash asked thoughtfully. "I mean it's kind of cool but _definitely_ creepy. And what's this about a favor?"

River shrugged. "Coyote said he did us a favor that we'd never comprehend."

"And that means?" Wash raised his eyebrows encouragingly.

"We won't be able to understand the favor." River said in a slow patient voice, giving him a look that spoke volumes.

"Yeah, but it could be _anything_." Wash complained. "If he did us this enormous favor, why won't he tell us what it is?"

"Because he thinks we're too stupid to understand it." River said serenely. "Coyote is very full of himself. Can I have the last _yuebing_ please?"

Zoe silently handed the plate with the single moon cake to River, who contentedly picked it up and bit into it.

"I love red bean paste." She said, smiling happily, showing no sign that she'd just delivered an important and mind-numbingly cryptic message. Although _Enterprise _had helped stabilize the girl so she no longer had uncontrolled outbursts of manic energy her mood was still wildly mercurial, shifting from calm to creepily serious to lucid to happy, sometimes within the same _sentence._

Wash eyed the girl uneasily. He knew she was a telepath and he genuinely liked her, but at times like this she reminded him she wasn't like normal people.

"I heard that." She said, moon cake in one hand, pointing at him. "Can't help how they made me, Wash. They opened up a hole in my head and the wind keeps blowing people's voices in. If I try really hard I can keep the wind out for a little while. But it's _hard_."

She watched him sadly.

"I didn't want them cutting on my brain you know. Thank you both for being my friends. I don't have that many anymore." Impulsively she hugged the tall black woman, making Wash grin. Zoe's stare promised her husband swift retribution over River's shoulder. He couldn't help chuckling. Stretching, he stood up.

"Well, I have to get back to the cockpit." He announced. "Even with her new eyes and ears _Serenity_ can't fly herself for very long. Zoe, wanna keep me company?"

"Can't." His wife said with a shake of her head. "I have first watch. The Captain said he would probably be nursing a hangover so he pulled rank." She didn't seem disturbed by Mal's decision, but then she seldom showed much emotion. One reason Wash was so in love with her was her unwavering equanimity in the face of life's little injustices.

"I'll go." River volunteered. "I like watching the stars. They're quiet and they don't move around. They keep the wind from blowing so hard."

"Sure." Wash stood up. River had kept him company before; he liked the fact she could sit quietly for hours, but still stay alert. He had a sneaking hunch the young girl knew how to fly _Serenity--which is silly_, _of course_ he thought as he made his way forward. River was walking behind him so he didn't see her smile at his back.

As the party wound down the others made their way to bed one by one. Mal was the last one in the dining room; he raised his glass in one final toast to the _Enterprise_, her crew, and most especially her captain before taking the brandy back with him to his cabin.


	5. Ch 05 No Answers To Be Had

Madame Li sat in her cabin on board _Dortmunder_ and genteelly fumed to herself. The report on her PAD could be summarized in two words: no clue.

She snorted to herself and skimmed the thousand pages of the report looking for anything helpful. But the report merely detailed the myriad ways three hundred nuclear detonations had obliterated any trace of what had happened during that fateful minute. She'd been warned at the outset this would be the investigation's likely result but there hadn't been any choice. All other avenues had been exhausted.

Setting the PAD aside with a sigh she reviewed the pitiful collection of facts she did know. The Reaver Fleet had been in the acceleration phase of their vector toward New Melbourne, some three hours from turnover to begin deceleration.

It was known the Reavers stripped shielding from their ships in order to make them faster, but analysis had ruled out any possible link. Nothing known to Alliance science would cause a chain-reaction of reactor failures like the monitoring stations had seen. Therefore whatever had destroyed the Reaver fleet had done so one ship at a time.

_Within a single minute_, Madame Li thought to herself grimly. Her scientists back on Sihnon had produced another report that that eliminated all the obvious possibilities. It hadn't been mines, because even the strongest mines couldn't have penetrated the incredibly tough casing of modern reactors. Nuclear weapons could have done it but analysis of the light had shown the explosions weren't bright enough; there had been no additional nuclear blasts.

A collision between a rapidly moving ship and a chunk of space debris could have done it had the debris been large enough and/or struck in exactly the right place. But to have _three hundred _ships suffer the same fate within a single minute was, while not strictly impossible, simply not within the realm of the conceivable. The report had noted the odds against it happening were equal to those of every atom in the sun simultaneously choosing to move in the same direction.

A single massive asteroid a hundred miles across could have done it--except there were only four such asteroids in the system--the nearest some 25 AU from the Reaver Fleet. Reavers were homicidal maniacs, not stupid or incompetent. They'd have detected such an asteroid in plenty of time to change course to avoid it--detect it in fact before they'd even left Miranda. Besides that, a single asteroid would have destroyed the entire fleet simultaneously.

And then there was the disturbing disappearance of the _Sa Shui Jiao _a month earlier_. _Madame Li considered the link tenuous at best. But the _Sa Shui Jiao_ was one of Blue Sun's Hunter-Killer class attack ships. The design was well tested, and the ship itself had been well maintained. The two operatives onboard had reported locating River Tam on a tramp freighter named _Serenity_, which they had just spotted in a rendezvous with another ship, identity unknown. That had been the last contact with the _Sa Shui Jiao_. No trace of the ship had been found. _Serenity_ had not been located either and there were no details of the third ship to give to her agents, who covered every Alliance port and many outer world ports as well.

A Hunter-Killer vanished, presumed destroyed by ship or ships unknown. A Reaver fleet confirmed destroyed in an impossible but spectacularly blatant manner. The only link, a seventeen year-old girl who, Madame Li understood, was utterly insane because she had escaped before her surgical modifications were complete. Yet this same girl had evaded an intense covert manhunt unparalleled in Alliance history. And to top it off, an unknown ship that may or may not have any relevance to the matter at hand.

Madame Li sighed. Sometimes late at night she wondered if the gods of ancient China had cursed her for her hubris. It was times like these that reminded her she was an old woman. In spite of rejuvenation treatments and nano-technological miracles that kept the worst ravages of time at bay her bones ached and the constant state of vigilance her position demanded left her exhausted and soul-weary. Sometimes she dreamed the ghosts of Miranda were coming to claim her in a vengeful fury.

Those were the mornings she did not enjoy her life.

The communicator on her desk chimed for attention. Rubbing her eyes she took a deep breath and put on her public face. Thumbing the switch she looked into the face of the _Dortmunder's _commander.

"Yes, Commander Harken?" She asked politely.

"I understand the _Hippasus _has completed her survey Madame Li. In two hours time we have an opportunity to vector toward the moon Constance. If we take it we'll arrive in nine days time. I would like to take that vector as the next vector isn't available for another sixteen hours, and it places us on a course for Whitefall, a moon so backward we may only be able to partially refuel there."

Madame Li debated for a moment then admitted defeat. "You may take the vector to Constance, Commander. I hereby relinquish full command to you and thank you for your assistance. I will disembark at Constance along with the _Hippasus_."

"Very good, Madame Li." He nodded and signed off.

She was about to go to bed and put off the mystery until morning when her communicator chimed again. She closed her eyes and prayed to Buddha for strength.

"Yes?" She said, thumbing the switch.

"Madame Li?" A young and nervous face stared out at her from the video screen.

"Yes, I am Madame Li. Who are you?"

"My name is Mortimer Trellis. I'm an astrophysicist onboard the _Hippasus_, ma'am."

"Dr. Trellis, it is very late and I was about to retire for the night. Can this wait until morning?"

He squared his shoulders. "No ma'am I'm afraid it can't. The report you received concerning the debris field is incomplete. My findings were not included. I believe those findings may be crucial to explain what happened to that fleet of ships."

Madame Li paused, considering. The scientist facing her now was in his early twenties, and obviously a very junior member of the team aboard _Hippasus_. Yet he _was _onboard the research vessel, which meant he was not incompetent. The fact his findings had not been included in the report probably meant his findings did not match the consensus of his colleagues. But the findings should have been included, even if there was a disclaimer to that effect.

Which meant someone was playing Alpha male. If there was one thing Madame Li despised it was testosterone getting in the way of competency.

"Tell me, Dr. Trellis, are you the only astrophysicist onboard the _Hippasus_?" Madame Li asked in a friendly tone. The scientist relaxed a trifle.

"Yes, ma'am. There are other physicists but they have different specialties. I only found the anomaly because I was analyzing the data from the monitoring stations instead of the debris field itself."

_Anomaly. What an interesting choice of word, _she thought to herself.

"Really." Madame Li's interest was piqued. "Tell me, what exactly did you discover?"

"The first explosion wasn't a ship's reactor." He stated flatly.

She felt a chill of excitement pass over her. Outwardly placid she spoke quietly; making sure the interest in her voice was obvious.

"What makes you say that, Dr. Trellis?"

"Without becoming overly technical Madame Li, every kind of nuclear explosion has a certain signature. A nuclear reactor overloading produces certain kinds of radiation, over a given span of time. A fusion reaction produces a different mix of radiation. A nuclear warhead is different again. You understand?"

"Yes." She nodded. While by no means an expert in physics she knew enough to hold her own at most cocktail parties where scientists would press for research grants.

"The initial explosion wasn't terribly large, a little under three megatons. But the radiation pattern was not from a fission or fusion device."

"I'm sorry, Doctor, I thought fission and fusion were the only types of nuclear reactions possible?"

"Aside from beta decay there's only one other type of nuclear reaction." Dr. Trellis said somberly. "I don't really blame my colleagues for rejecting my data. But I've confirmed my analysis. Although it's impossible."

"Dr. Trellis this entire situation is utterly impossible, yet here we are rushing through space chasing phantoms." There was actually a hint of genuine warmth in her smile.

"It was an antimatter explosion, Madame Li." He said after a moment. He closed his eyes, obviously waiting to be laughed at.

"All right." She said calmly. "What is antimatter?"

"That will take a bit of explanation. Would it be possible for us to meet? I need to show you my analysis for it to make any sense."

Madame Li had not risen to her position by ignoring her instincts. And right now her instincts were screaming that Dr. Trellis held the key to this deadly mystery.

"Of course." She said at once. "Please come to my cabin immediately. I have a full display system; all you need is your PAD. Oh, and Doctor? You needn't inform your superiors just yet. Your anomaly may prove interesting enough for me to have the pleasure of enlightening them myself."

He actually gulped when he saw the shark-like smile on her face.

"Yes Madame Li. I'll come at once."

Once he had signed off she called her secretary.

"Yes, Madame Li?" The woman asked, obviously roused from sleep.

"Ying-Tai, I'm sorry for waking you. I will be having a visitor shortly and would appreciate your presence."

"Of course, Madame. I will be there in just a moment."

Madame Li spent the next few minutes preparing tea for her guests. The familiar routine soothed her nerves and readied her for the meeting to come. Ying-Tai entered without knocking, quiet and reserved. The older woman wordlessly handed her a cup which the younger woman took with a nod of thanks.

"Our visitor's name is Dr. Mortimer Trellis." Madame Li said as she seated herself. "He seems to have stumbled across something interesting. Perhaps the key to this vexing enigma. His superiors however did not see fit to report it."

"A harmless oversight perhaps?" The younger woman's voice was polite and pointedly free of sarcasm. Madame Li smiled.

"I suspect the good Doctor may have neglected to show the proper deference to his superiors." She said. "He contacted me directly, without his superior's knowledge."

"I see." Ying-Tai smiled faintly. "He shows a certain audacity, does he not? Let us hope he has good news to share with us."

"That would be a refreshing change." Madame Li nodded. The two women sipped their tea in silence as they waited for their visitor. When the door buzzer finally sounded Ying-Tai rose and opened the door. Dr. Trellis blinked when he saw the pretty young lady instead of the dignified older woman he'd expected.

"Um, is this Madame Li's cabin?" He asked in confusion. Ying-Tai nodded and stood aside, motioning him to enter. He entered hesitantly until he caught sight of the older woman seated on the couch.

"Forgive me for not rising, young man." Madame Li said, smiling. "I'm not as young as I used to be and it's very late."

"I'm sorry to bother you, Madame Li. I wouldn't have contacted you if I didn't believe it was important." He never noticed Ying-Tai behind him, sharp eyes scanning him from head to foot. She nodded to her employer and moved to return to her seat.

"Won't you be seated, Doctor? Would you like some tea?"

"Thank you, ma'am." He sat down in the chair across from the two women and accepted the cup. He placed his PAD on the table between them.

"You mentioned something called antimatter I believe?" Madame Li prompted her guest after he drank and sat his cup down. He nodded.

"Yes ma'am. Antimatter is exactly like normal matter, except the charges are reversed. Instead of protons and electrons antimatter has anti-protons and positrons. When matter and antimatter meet they annihilate one another--violently.

"I see. Why haven't I heard about this before?"

"Antimatter is largely theoretical. We've made a few atoms of it in the laboratory, but it's a horrifically expensive process. Not to mention incredibly dangerous in even minute quantities."

"I see. How much antimatter has been produced, do you know?"

"Only a few thousand atoms of anti-hydrogen, Madame Li." He answered promptly. "That's over the last five hundred years."

The older woman raised her eyebrows. "Then this antimatter is just a scientific curiosity? It has no practical applications?"

Dr. Trellis hesitated. "Well, to be honest antimatter would be the ultimate power source if we could locate sufficient quantities of it. Or found a way to create it that didn't cost a trillion credits a gram." He noted her shocked look and chuckled.

"Yes ma'am, that's no exaggeration. That's really how much it costs to make using our current technology. But the power in a matter/antimatter reaction is literally ten thousand times that of nuclear fission."

"That's--intriguing." Madame Li said after a long thoughtful pause. "But what does that have to do with our destroyed fleet?"

"The first detonation was antimatter." Dr. Trellis picked up his PAD. "If I may, ma'am?" The older woman gestured to the input terminal. Dr. Trellis slotted his PAD and brought up the holographic display.

"This chart will display the explosions as I explain what's happening. The vertical axis shows the frequency, radio waves at the bottom, and gamma rays at the top. The horizontal axis shows the time in milliseconds, from the beginning of each explosion to the end. You see?" Madame Li nodded.

"Now here we have 4 different kinds of explosions. The first is a typical ship's reactor overloading. The second is a nuclear warhead detonating, the third is a fusion reactor overload and the last is the signature of a matter/antimatter reaction."

Madame Li studied the charts side by side. Even her untrained eye could see the similarity between the two fission explosions, and how they differed from the fusion overload. The antimatter graph was utterly different than the others."

"They are very distinctive." She said. "I can see how you'd be able to tell the difference. Why didn't the other people on _Hippasus_ spot this?"

"Because they were analyzing the debris field." Dr. Trellis answered. "They saw _this_." He pointed to the reactor overload chart. "But I was studying the data from the monitor stations. And I saw _this_."

The display filled with a single large chart. "Look at the first twenty milliseconds." He worked the controls to isolate the part of the chart he wanted, and then brought up the antimatter reaction chart from before.

"They match." Madame Li breathed. "How much antimatter did it take to cause the explosion, Doctor?"

"28 grams." He said, watching her.

"Kilograms?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No ma'am. _Grams_. To put it in every day terms there were roughly 7 sugar cubes worth of antimatter in that warhead. And it produced a three _megaton_ explosion. But that's just the beginning."

He expanded the chart to thirty milliseconds, revealing two overlapping waves. "There were two warheads, each containing about 28 grams of antimatter." He expanded the chart again.

"And look at this. You can plainly see a single large pulse here, followed by a series of a dozen overlapping smaller pulses." He pointed to each of the crests.

"Which means?" Madame Li asked, face sharp with concentration. The following crests were clearly nuclear reactors, not antimatter.

"If I had to guess I'd bet the two antimatter warheads struck a single large vessel, probably the fleet flagship. The big pulse signals her main reactors going up. From the harmonics of the pulse I would guess she was also carrying nuclear weapons. The smaller pulses are probably escort ships flying in close formation. Meaning 56 grams of antimatter destroyed 13 ships in less than a tenth of a second."

"Are there alternative explanations to this data?" Madame Li asked, hoping that the astrophysicist was wrong.

"No ma'am." He shook his head. "Even with the overlap, the signatures are unmistakable. And see here." He expanded the chart, showing large dots. He zoomed into each in sequence. The old woman recognized the distinctive pattern of a nuclear reactor overloading. Sometimes there was a single pulse, and sometimes there were multiple pulses that overlapped within milliseconds."

"All the ships were destroyed with antimatter warheads?" She asked after the doctor was done. He shook his head again.

"No, there were only two antimatter warheads used. But there's a pattern to the other ship explosions. As you can see some exploded by themselves and others exploded at the same time. But no more than six explosions occur at any one time."

He erased the charts and pulled up another view, this one showing tiny specks. "This is a reconstruction of the fleet prior to the explosions. Watch the pattern as the explosions occur." He began the animation.

Madame Li watched the flashes. Instinctively she knew there was a pattern, but her conscious mind couldn't see it.

"Please repeat the animation at half speed." Ying-Tai spoke suddenly. Obediently Dr. Trellis ran the animation a second time, slowed down.

"There are six attackers." Ying-Tai said confidently. "Or one attacker using six turrets. Doctor, can you project six beams from off camera, one for each set of explosions?"

"It'll take a second." He said. After a couple of minutes he restarted the animation. Blue beams stabbed out from an off screen source. This time Madame Li could see what the younger girl had. To match the pattern the beams didn't linger on a target, they touched it and immediately moved on. The implications were chilling.

"I have access to every military development project in the Alliance. I have never even _heard_ of a weapon like this, much less antimatter warheads. This is madness." Her eyes strayed back to the display.

"Dr. Trellis, I have every confidence you are telling me the truth. Forgive an old woman for wishing you were a fraud."

"Believe me, Madame Li I wish I were." Dr. Trellis said with all the sincerity of the young. "If the young lady is right about this being six rapid-fire turrets then Heaven help the Alliance." He thought for a moment.

"You know, it wouldn't be any better if this was a fleet ripple firing a single-shot weapon. Nothing in the Alliance could stand against it."

The three people stared at the display, wondering if they were watching the death of everything they knew.


	6. Ch 06 Mounting Evidence

"This proceeding will now come to order." Admiral Nakamura banged the gavel. "Is the Prosecution ready to proceed?"

"I am, sir." Spaavok answered.

"Advocate Karras, is the defense prepared to proceed?"

"I am, sir."

"Then Prosecutor Spaavok please submit your evidence."

"The _Enterprise_ log has been downloaded into the Court's database and I will be using it as evidence. Advocate Karras has accepted the authenticity of the log and stipulates it is genuine. Further, I will be calling various officers and crew of the _Enterprise _as witnesses. Advocate Karras has the proposed witness list and has raised no objections."

"Finally, since it is impossible to obtain the testimony of the crew of _Serenity_, I plan to submit such recordings of their conversations as appropriate. Advocate Karras has raised no objection to this.

"I have also attempted to contact the being known as Q, although this has proven impossible. Given Q's arbitrary nature it is entirely possible he may appear of his own accord. Should that happen I will attempt to obtain his testimony, although given Q's power and capriciousness I have no means to compel him."

"Advocate Karras do you agree to this extraordinary procedure?" Admiral Nakamura asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I do, sir. If Q should appear I would be most eager to see him on the witness stand. Although, as my esteemed colleague notes, we have no power to either compel him to appear or testify. We can only take advantage of the situation should it present itself."

"Very well. Is this the extent of the evidence you plan to present to the Court?"

"It is, sir."

"Advocate Karras, what evidence do you plan to present?"

Karras smiled as he spoke. "Sir, I find Prosecutor Spaavok has done an exemplary job of gathering my evidence for me. I will be using the same evidence as the Prosecution."

"In that case I see no need to delay these proceedings any further. Prosecutor Spaavok, you may begin."

"Since the list of charges against Captain Picard is so long it seems logical to concentrate on the most important matter first and then proceed to the lesser charges. If Advocate Karras does not object?"

"That seems reasonable to me." Karras boomed. "I have no objections."

"Thank you." If Vulcans actually practiced sarcasm Spaavok's remark would have reeked of it. It was plain he had little patience for the Klingon Advocate's flamboyance.

"I submit the most important matter before this court is the charge of genocide. Therefore I will begin there."

"First, a recording of a conversation that occurred in Captain Picard's quarters as _Enterprise_ and _Serenity_ were about to part ways. The other person in the recording is Malcolm Reynolds, captain of the _Serenity_."

The lights dimmed and a holographic projection formed in front of the Judges panel. A man was sprawled on the couch, wearing worn clothing in various shades of buff and brown. Captain Picard was speaking.

"Let me ask you, Captain, how many planets are in this system, not counting moons?"

"Uh, lemme think." The man paused briefly and then smiled. "Fifteen." He answered triumphantly. It was obvious he was feeling the effects of the brandy in his glass.

"Are you sure?" Captain Picard leaned forward in his chair. Captain Reynolds frowned in concentration, and then said.

"Yep. There's fifteen."

"What if I told you there were actually sixteen, Captain?" Captain Picard asked.

"Well, maybe there's a black rock on the edge of the system." The other man shrugged.

"No. It's a class M planet." Picard said. "Uninhabited, but there's a swarm of ships orbiting it. The odd thing is there are no records of this planet in your database, and the ships don't seem to land on it. In fact for the most part they stay in orbit. Occasionally a few ships come in-system, usually by themselves, stay for just a few hours, then return to the swarm."

Everyone could see the man straighten up, suddenly intent.

"These ships, they happen to emit more radiation than is healthful?"

"You know something." Picard said. "Yes, they have a much stronger radiation signature than normal."

"Reavers." Malcolm Reynolds bit the word off and sat up, putting his brandy on the table. "My suggestion to you, destroy every ship in that swarm. From as far away as you can possibly be."

"What? Why?" Picard asked, obviously startled at the bloodthirsty suggestion and the cold passionless tone it was delivered in.

"Reavers ain't men." Mal said. "They used to be men, but somethin' happened--nobody knows what."

The scene faded and the lights came back up.

"Captain Reynolds clearly states the Reavers weren't human." Spaavok spoke. "If they were not human they constitute a sub-species of human. This is evident from Captain Reynolds' comment about Reavers having been human but no longer being human."

"This conversation also establishes that Captain Picard knew the Reavers whereabouts and that he knew that the fleet orbiting the sixteenth planet of the Chara system comprised the vast bulk of the Reaver population, perhaps every Reaver in existence."

"Objection." Karras thundered from his seat. "Prosecutor Spaavok has taken this comment out of context and failed to provide the _rest_ of the conversation, which clearly shows Captain Reynolds was speaking of a human being becoming a Reaver within a short span of time. Let us hear the rest of this conversation, from the point where it stopped."

"That seems reasonable." Admiral Nakamura nodded. "Let the recording finish."

The lights dimmed again and the holograph reappeared. Malcolm started speaking.

"Reavers ain't men." He said. "They used to be men, but somethin' happened--nobody knows what. Reavers are--horrifying. Like boogey men outta stories. They take a ship, they almost never leave survivors. And that's a blessin', trust me. 'Cause when they do leave somebody, the poor _hundan's_ been forced to watch. Never right after that. Most times they turn into Reavers their own selves. The rest either die or commit suicide."

"Once they take a ship, they rape the crew to death, skin them and eat the bodies. And if the crew was very, very lucky they do it in that order." The man wasn't staring at Captain Picard, he was obviously remembering.

"We've run into them a time or two. Managed to get away the first time, out-maneuvered their ship and caught 'em with a full burn in atmo. Hope we blew 'em into flaming chunks, the _hechu sheng zajiao de zanghuo_."

"Second time, we come across a ship they hit. 'Bout the size of _Serenity_. Settlers, headed for the outer planets."

He looked at Picard, face blank. "Sixteen families, Captain. Men, their wives, children. More than one baby." He picked up the brandy and tossed it back in a single gulp.

"We cut down the bodies. Some had been hung, upside down and gutted. Others, just torn apart. Specially the little ones."

"My God." Picard breathed.

"Yeah. So you know where those Reavers are, you do the 'verse a favor and you _end them_. Wipe them from the face of creation."

The lights came back up.

"As the Court can see Captain Reynolds mentioned that sometimes survivors of a Reaver attack themselves become Reavers. If Reavers were a sub-species of humans as Spaavok would have us believe such a transformation would be impossible. If you are willing to accept Malcolm Reynolds testimony as credible, then you must accept _all _of his testimony."

"The Court accepts that if a witness is deemed credible then any and all evidence provided by that witness must be taken into account. Objection sustained. Please continue, Prosecutor Spaavok."

The older Vulcan didn't seem troubled by the reversal. "I call Dr. Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer of the _Enterprise._"

There was a pause while she was summoned. Once seated Spaavok turned to Karras.

"Are you willing to stipulate Dr. Crusher is an expert on medical matters and is competent to judge genetic variation?"

"So stipulated." Karras said, waving one hand carelessly.

"Dr. Crusher, you performed extensive examinations of the Reaver brought on board the _Enterprise_, did you not?"

"I did." She answered in a strong voice.

"Had you no prior evidence, would you have considered the Reaver to be a human being?"

"Yes." Dr. Crusher answered immediately. "The Reaver's DNA was unmistakably human."

"Yet did you not state that a Reaver is eight times stronger than a human, has reaction times half again as fast as a human, and has extensive physiological differences from a human?"

"Yes."

"How is this possible, from a genetic standpoint, if the Reaver were indeed human?"

"The Reaver suffered an epigenetic cascade caused by a synthetic serotonin analog known as paxilon hydrochlorate. This drug mixed with their own genetic makeup and amino acids found on the planet." Dr. Crusher said. There were several puzzled looks among the judges.

"For those of us without a medical degree, Doctor, can you explain what an epigenetic cascade is?" Spaavok asked coolly.

"Well, DNA is the blueprint of your body, a sort of static database." Dr. Crusher said. "On the other hand epigenetics refer to actual switching on and off of various parts of your DNA, like a computer program. The DNA responds to environmental conditions within the cell. For instance allergic reactions are epigenetic--your DNA literally changes which proteins the cell produces in response."

"In the case of the Reavers two native amino acids on the planet interacted with a rare but normally harmless mutation. When the drug was administered the victim's epigenetics produced a slightly different protein than most humans would have. This protein splits natural serotonin into a harmless protein and a pair of prions."

"Prions are a self-replicating protein. Anyway, once it started it was like a chain reaction. The prions attacked the serotonin, making more prions which attacked more serotonin, and so on. The prion load rapidly multiplied to the point the victim's body became saturated--at which point the prion overload caused certain genes to be switched on that aren't normally. Those genes activating are what transformed the Reaver."

"Would you say the Reaver became a new species?"

"Absolutely _not_. The Reaver was still human. Except--in a way I guess you could say they matured into an adult."

"Excuse me?" Spaavok asked, clearly not expecting that answer.

"It was as though the Reaver went through a second adolescence." Dr. Crusher said slowly, clearly having to think about what she wanted to say. "Humans are among the physically weakest of the known sentient races. The reason for that is neoteny--the retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult. Humans take this neoteny to an extreme degree. In the case of the Reaver they lose this neoteny--in effect they undergo a second maturation. But since the cascade was uncontrolled and triggered by accident the result is a devastating set of mutations."

"Dr. Crusher, how does one species evolve into a new one?" Spaavok changed his direction of attack. "Isn't it by accumulated mutation?"

"Yes." Dr. Crusher said reluctantly. "But in the case of the Reavers the mutation would not breed true. A Reaver child, assuming the mother survived the attack, would be human, not Reaver. In addition, Reavers can only create more Reavers by infection, not sexual reproduction."

Deciding to cut his losses Spaavok said. "Thank you, Dr. Crusher." He sat down. Karras stood up and walked to the witness stand.

"Dr. Crusher, the entire question of genocide would seem, in Prosecutor Spaavok's mind, to revolve around the question of Reavers being a separate sub-species of human. Yet it would seem your testimony denies Reavers are anything more than an unfortunate victim of their own genetics and an Alliance mind control drug."

"That's correct. Reavers _are_ humans. The physiological changes are tetragenic, not mutagenic." Dr. Crusher said firmly.

Karras scratched his head thoughtfully. "I'm just an old Klingon warrior, Doctor. The difference escapes me."

"Tetragenic basically means a developmental defect that wasn't caused by a flaw in the DNA; it was caused by some substance that interferes with normal development. Lead poisoning, for example. Mutagenic is any substance that alters a person's DNA. Paxilon hydrochlorate is a tetragen, not a mutagen for men with the Reaver gene."

"I notice you keep saying _men_, Doctor. Why is that?" Karras folded his hands over his slight paunch.

"Because the Reaver gene is sex-linked, woman can't become Reavers."

That caused a stir among the judges. Spaavok sat impassively, although everyone in the room knew Dr. Crusher had just driven a stake through the heart of the genocide charge. Captain Picard sat calmly, his face showing attentive interest but no other reaction.

"Just to make sure this targ is really dead." Karras spoke slowly. "Would it be accurate to say any sub-species of human being would have to have members of both sexes?"

"Yes." Dr. Crusher nodded.

"And Reavers must be male?"

"Correct." She nodded.

"Therefore, as a senior medical officer you are stating for the record that Reavers are not a sub-species of human, but are in fact actually human?"

"Yes."

"I submit to the court this witness's expert testimony exonerates Captain Picard of the crime of genocide."

Karras sat down amidst complete silence.

"The witness is excused. Court will adjourn for lunch, and will resume in one hour." It seemed Admiral Nakamura took great pleasure in smashing down the gavel. It made a loud _bang_ in the silent courtroom.


	7. Ch 07 The Hunt

The first kill was so simple the black skinned Operative took no professional pride in its accomplishment. The target, third in command of the Guiding Light was quite elderly. All it took was slipping the poison into the man's drink in the kitchen of the restaurant while no one was looking. His heart failed within a minute of sipping his glass. The poison itself was short lived in wine; there would be no trace for suspicious coroners to discover by the time anyone thought to look. The Operative knew the man's death would be attributed to natural causes--at least long enough for him to complete his mission.

The second kill was also too straight forward to take pride in. The lowest ranked of the Operative's targets was, while not actually young, not elderly like the other Guiding Light leadership. He was still physically active--in particular he loved to hunt. The Operative merely had to wait, concealed on a ridge, while the man crossed an open hillside. The infrared laser rifle's beam pierced the target's skull and converted the water in his brain to steam. The body would have to be identified by fingerprints, of course...

The Operative did take a moment to appreciate his luck. The two kills had taken less than half a day to accomplish. He regretted only that they had not known who had killed them. Still, they had died quickly, probably without realizing they were dying. There were worse ways to go.

Once safely out of the area he headed to the next target. The second ranked target was an elderly woman who had survived attempted assassination attempts before. They had left her paranoid. Unfortunately for the Operative she was also rich, powerful, and _inventive_. Simple poison or sniper fire would not defeat her. She surrounded herself with loyal guards and seldom left her compound.

The operative frowned. It was time to take distasteful measures. He preferred his kills face to face, against an armed opponent who could fight back. Poison was effective and efficient, and there was much to be said for hunting accidents, but this assignment offered no challenges--the needs of the mission were forcing him to favor speed and pragmatism over honorable execution.

Besides, it was going to be messy. The Operative hated messes, they reflected poorly on him. Still, needs must...

The compound was deceptively quiet. It was late enough the target had gone to bed and was probably asleep--unlike her guards, who prowled the grounds alertly. Dogs sniffed for intruders, motion sensors guarded every approach. Radar swept the surrounding skies for approaching aircraft. Hidden gun emplacements were ready to fend off even the most determined attacker.

Anything approaching the compound would be challenged; any attacker would be destroyed before reaching the sleeping woman. Thus it was she slept peacefully in her bed, knowing nothing human could touch her.

Too bad she'd overlooked the non-human...

High in orbit half a world away a lone ship floated innocently. On board the Operative typed a set of coordinates into the computer and pressed a single button. In the belly of the ship doors opened and a pair of long thin shapes drifted slowly out of the bay. Even as they were orienting themselves the Operative's ship changed course and headed toward the ground.

_So many to kill, so little time_, the Operative thought to himself.

Meanwhile the two slender rods fired cold compressed gas, angling down toward the planet. Each rod was nothing more than a two-hundred pound rod of tungsten with sharpened points and small computer embedded deep within. The rods had small clusters of low pressure thrusters at each end and small guidance fins for use in the atmosphere. The pair of them cost less than a dinner at a five star restaurant on the planet below. They carried no explosive warhead, no poison, and no biological agent. They were, for all intents and purposes, nothing more than metal spears some ten feet long and six inches in diameter.

As they entered atmosphere the thrusters were discarded and the two spears began their long fall.

In the compound below everything was as it should be. The radars showed nothing, the dogs smelled nothing, the alert guards found no intruder. The woman lay in her bed, sleeping the peaceful sleep of the well guarded.

The staff were also in their beds, in anticipation of an early morning to start their tasks for their employer.

Glowing brightly from the heated plasma that surrounded them the two metal spears approached the compound at slightly over 14 kilometers per second. The radars failed to see them because they had such a small radar cross section and the plasma absorbed most of the radar pulse scattering the rest.

Not to mention the radar had only a three second window to acquire the two spears before they impacted with a mighty flash and a thunderous roar. The compound's main house simply disintegrated from the force of the blast of four hundred pounds of tungsten striking at 14 kilometers per second. It was as though the house had been struck with a huge bomb. The two spears slammed into the reinforced concrete floor of the foundation like ice picks through cardboard, finally exploding as their enormous kinetic energy was converted to heat by the sheer mass of the ground under the building.

The initial fireball killed everyone unlucky enough to be inside the building proper. Shrapnel from the mansion killed anyone inside the walls of the compound, and the secondary explosions of the antiaircraft ammunition demolished the compound walls themselves. The flames started a fire in the surrounding forest, which over the next fifteen minutes became a raging forest fire.

It was an incredibly huge mess.

As fire fighters raced to the isolated compound the Operative was stepping from his ship on a different continent. He hired a robotic taxi which took him to an exclusive casino where his final target was having a long winning streak at the _Pai Gow_ table. Dressed as a wealthy merchant the Operative stood watching the play quietly. When the target's winning streak finally abated he rose from the table in great good humor, and more than a little drunk. The old man handed several young ladies large denomination chips and bade them good fortune in a loud and merry voice. There was a lot of giggling, although this came from the girls, the Operative was _nearly_ certain.

He noted the two bodyguards who were casually scanning the crowds. He noted with pleasure the two guards were of highest caliber, they were invisible to most of the crowd but moved with the easy grace of martial artists.

This, finally, might be the challenge he had been lacking up till now. Noting the number of glasses the old man had on the table in front of him the Operative moved casually toward the restrooms. Sure enough the target headed the same way. Stepping into the ornate room well ahead of his target he smiled. The room was completely empty, which suited his needs perfectly. He stepped into the second stall from the end just as his target entered, complaining loudly to his bodyguards.

"I can certainly go to the bathroom by myself, thank you! Stay outside!"

"No sir that would not be safe." One of the bodyguards politely disagreed with his employer. "I would not want to see you come to harm. I _like_ you."

"Listen to him! Wait--you really like me?" The target's voice took on the tone of the tipsy turned maudlin.

"Yes I do. Now hurry, Mei Ling will be waiting for you at home, ready to give you a nice massage."

"Ah, my sweet young Mei Ling! Her voice is like delicate jade bells ringing in a gentle breeze. And her eyes! Ah, her eyes..."

The Operative's luck held as his target moved into the last stall, as he'd guessed he might. The assassin took a small device from his pocket and laid it on the floor. Taking a small monitor from the other pocket he manipulated the tiny controller until the crosshairs were centered on a rather ugly and scrawny calf in the next stall. He waited until the other man quieted from the grunts and groans inherent in that most undignified bodily function before pressing the button. There was no sound but a hand reached down to scratch the area where the crosshairs were pointed. Picking up the device from the floor he pocketed everything, adjusted his clothing and opened the stall.

Walking past the two bodyguards he nodded politely and washed his hands thoroughly before leaving the restroom. Not pausing he exited the casino and flagged down another robot cab. This cab took him to a quiet residential neighborhood, dropping him at his destination.

By this time the bodyguards would have discovered they were now unemployed. He'd used a neurotoxin that paralyzed the victim so they simply suffocated. It was quiet, the victim lost consciousness within thirty seconds, and there was no known cure. Most toxicology screens would miss it, especially if not performed in the first 6 hours after death.

The Operative made a call on his PAD to his employer. The older man seemed very solemn when he answered.

"I'm feeling the need for a vacation to get away from it all." The Operative said. "Several days or perhaps a couple of weeks. Do you have any suggestions where I might go to relax?"

"Constance has a rustic charm you might find restful." His employer said casually. "I understand there will be several colorful local festivals in a couple of weeks. You might want to stay and catch them."

"Perhaps I will. Is three weeks too long?"

"No, no. You haven't taken any time off since I've known you. Take as much time as you need. In fact you should take one of our ships, it will be faster. You know how commercial liners are these days. Can't trust them to keep their schedules, and they lose your luggage! How is that possible on a _space ship_? You wouldn't want delays to ruin your vacation."

"No, that's certainly true."

"I can assume you've tied up all your loose ends then?" The older man asked.

"Oh yes. It was mostly quiet anyway. You know."

"Ah, good. Well, enjoy your vacation. _Zai jian_."

"_Zai jian._" After the Operative broke the connection he made another call and waited patiently for his pick up.


	8. Ch 08 When Circumstances Align

_Serenity_ had performed a course correction that altered her vector so she was coming in along the plane of the ecliptic. It had been expensive in terms of fuel but Malcolm judged it wise not to stand out as they made planet fall.

Inara had indeed known people on Constance who would be willing to convert some of the platinum _Enterprise _had given them into ready cash. She even had contacts that would be glad to convert coin into credits, a practice that while not illegal was frowned upon by the Alliance. It made it too easy for ships like _Serenity_ to slip through the net.

They were still several hours from Constance. Malcolm didn't have much experience in the Constance system, but the upside was he didn't have any enemies there either. He figured it would make life simpler--and safer.

He settled into his cabin to finalize the mounds of paperwork it seemed the Alliance loved to smother people with.

It was going to be a long boring ride into Constance.

On board _Dortmunder _Madame Li knew Constance was going to be anything _but_ boring. She'd received word from her aide on Sihnon of the deaths of the four faction leaders. She had no doubt she was next.

The only question was where the assassin would strike. For all she knew he could already be on board. The matter of Zhang Xiao troubled her. The lady had been formidable, true, and wary, but to use _orbital bombardment _to destroy the entire compound and create a massive forest fire in the process?

That spoke of enormous power and a frightening lack of regard for non-combatants.. The fact the four faction leaders had died within hours of each other meant another faction had decided to extinguish the Guiding Light utterly. Madame Li had considered which factions might be moving against her. Any faction that had that kind of power was either already an ally of the Guiding Light or simply uninterested in interfering with their goals. The only factions willing to strike this way lacked the power to do so.

Yet another puzzle to add to the tottering pile.

Playing long odds she informed Commander Harken that an assassination attempt on her was probable. She also told him how Zheng Xiao had been killed. She warned him it was remotely possible _Dortmunder _herself might be a target.

Playing even longer odds she told him to inform her at once if he spotted _Serenity_. He'd looked at her strangely, but acquiesced readily enough.

Madame Li kept Ying-Tai close to her for protection, but other than that she was merely a helpless boat on the oceans of fate. And it appeared a storm was brewing...

The Operative was pleased. He was on board a Hunter-Killer owned by the Steady Hand. It was a black-ops ship from top to bottom, with a top-notch AI so a non-pilot could use its great speed to reach targets in hours that most ships needed days to reach.

In addition the ship was fully capable of fighting a battle without human intervention since its "crew" usually consisted of a single Operative who was not a qualified pilot nor versed in space combat. The ship's heavy armament was very useful for killing ships in deep space, far from prying eyes.

Like the Operative himself, the ship bore no name, responded to no authority save its passenger's, and was as stealthy as Alliance technology could make her. Unlike the _Sa Shui Jiao _this ship carried only conventional missiles, but the Operative did not view this as a downside. Nuclear warhead detonations tended to attract enormous attention, something he didn't need. The missiles on board were powerful enough to kill any ship in space, even something like the _Dortmunder_.

Of course he had no intention of destroying the cruiser. She represented a mind-boggling investment and her loss could not be covered up. The Steady Hand couldn't withstand the investigation that would surely sweep the Alliance afterward.

He smiled. Fortunately, he had something to deal with _Dortmunder _should she prove troublesome. Technology was indeed a wonderful thing...

He was only an hour behind _Dortmunder _according to the latest intelligence reports. He would attempt subterfuge, claiming to be Madame Li's escort. Once she was on board--well old bones were very brittle, even with nano-technological assistance. It was also helpful that bodies in deep space were seldom found...

On board _Dortmunder_ Commander Harken had been busy. He knew as well as anyone it was unlikely his ship would be attacked directly, but the orbital bombardment of Zhang's compound had made him nervous. The fact that Madame Li was interested in _Serenity_ made the situation even more surreal. What could such a powerful woman want with a crew of cargo haulers and two-bit smugglers? Whom, he winced at the memory; he had personally set free after that unfortunate incident with the Reaver...

To relieve his stress he had a word with the flight commander of the ASREVs. He told the man the Dry Gulch protocol might be needed soon. The flight commander had grinned and assured him his pilots loved that particular bit of creative nastiness and were eager to try it against a real opponent.

Satisfied he was as prepared as he could be for the unforeseen he returned to the bridge to get ready for their arrival at Constance.


	9. Ch 09 Q Ball in the Side Pocket

_What is going on? _Captain Picard wondered as he waited outside the courtroom. The trial had been scheduled to start an hour ago but the judges were still closeted with the Prosecutor and the Advocate. The guards were as clueless as anyone else.

Something big was happening, but no one seemed to know what. Picard wanted to get on with the trial, it appeared Karras was winning and Picard just wanted the whole incident behind him.

Finally the guards stood aside and the doors slid open. Everyone entered and found their seat. Karras was looking pleased, grinning widely. Spaavok was impassive, and the judges' panel looked solemn. Captain Picard was cautiously optimistic especially when Karras smacked him on the back, hard enough to make him wince.

"This court martial will come to order." Admiral Nakamura banged the gavel, which rang out like a small explosion. The onlookers settled down immediately, but the silence was tense.

"Prosecutor Spaavok, please proceed." The gray-haired admiral said sternly. Rising, the Vulcan bowed to the panel and started to speak.

"It has become evident certain charges have been disproven at this point in the court martial. In the interest of judicial efficiency I have modified the list of charges to reflect the realities of the situation."

"Therefore the Prosecution formally withdraws the charge of genocide, along with the kidnapping charge. Further, Prosecution will not pursue a charge of mass murder against Captain Picard. It is evident the destruction of the Reaver fleet was an act of last resort, to preserve the only known civilization in Alliance space. As the _Enterprise_ was forced to act in secret the Prosecution also withdraws the charges concerning violation of General Orders 13, 14, 20, and 40."

Spaavok paused. "This leaves the violations of the Prime Directive and General Order 4. While not of the same order of magnitude as the other charges, the Prosecution believes such matters are indeed grave and require deliberation by this court."

"Advocate Karras, do you concur?" Admiral Nakamura asked.

"To the dropping of the ridiculous charges of genocide, mass murder and kidnapping, I most certainly do concur." Karras growled, scowling. "Likewise I concur with the dropping of the General Order violations. What I do _not _concur with is Prosecution's continued reluctance to clear my client of all charges. The Prime Directive was _not _violated, nor was General Order 4."

"That has yet to be determined, Advocate Karras." Spaavok interjected coolly. "The remaining charges revolve around the question of whether the Alliance is a primitive civilization or not."

"Oh please." A voice cut Spaavok short. "Of _course _the Alliance is a primitive civilization. So is the Federation, for goodness sake. If you weren't so puffed up in your own self-importance Vulcan you wouldn't even need to ask the question."

"Q." Picard said, closing his eyes. _And it had been going so well, _he thought, suddenly weary. Karras started to grin, turning to look at the speaker. The gleam in his eye boded ill for someone. Spaavok stiffened where he stood.

"And who might you be, sir?" Spaavok asked the intruder who was perched on the rail that separated the chamber audience from the principals.

"Q, of course." The curly dark haired human answered. He was wearing the uniform of a Fleet Admiral--which made every officer in the room bristle. It appeared Q's theme of the day was going to be _insult_.

"You are the individual responsible for sending _Enterprise_ into Alliance space?" Spaavok asked calmly.

"Yes. You're not as stupid as you look, Vulcan."

"If you know I am Vulcan you know childish insults will have no effect on me." Spaavok responded.

"So you say, but inside all those suppressed emotions are churning away, like magma under a monastery." Q said, obviously nettled. "One day they'll explode, and woe betide anyone near you then."

"Doubtful." Spaavok said, standing relaxed. "But since you have appeared may I conclude you have an interest in the outcome of this case?"

"I can't believe you're bothering to continue." Q said in a bored tone. "You've already dismissed the heart of the case. The only reason to continue is to, oh what is that term you primitives use? Oh yes. Save face."

"I am continuing because I believe Captain Picard violated the Prime Directive and it is in the Federation's best interest to make sure the violation was warranted." Spaavok said levelly.

"And I told you neither the Alliance nor the Federation can claim to be advanced civilizations." Q snorted. "So in what sense is your precious Prime Directive worth the breath it takes to recite it?"

Karras stood up. "As much as it entertains me to see you two gentlemen sparring I'd like to ask Q a few questions. I'm sure Spaavok would as well. Will you grant us some of your valuable time Q?"

Q looked at the Klingon for a moment, obviously sizing him up. "All right, since a savage Klingon warrior asked oh so politely, I will. But in return you have to answer my question first."

Karras smiled. "A challenge is it? I accept."

"You're a Klingon warrior. Yet here you are in the midst of the Federation, working as a _lawyer _and upholding Federation ideals. So tell me, Karras, son of K'temoc, what does the Prime Directive mean to you? Isn't it so many empty words? Shouldn't the strong conquer the weak? Seize the spoils as their birthright?"

Karras stared thoughtfully at Q for a moment.

"I think you are not as high-handed as you would have us believe, Q." He said finally.

"But to answer your question, yes there was a time when Klingons believed that." Karras stepped away from the table, now without his trademark good humor.

"Two hundred years ago, when humans and Klingons first met we believed the humans were weak. We were biding our time before launching a war of conquest. But Jonathan Archer was instrumental in saving the Empire from a devastating plague, one that changed what it meant to be Klingon."

"A hundred years ago the Klingon Empire again sought to wage war upon the Federation. The Organians ended that conflict. A good thing for the Empire too, since fifty years ago a Federation starship named _Enterprise_ and her crew sacrificed themselves to save Narendra III from a cowardly Romulan attack."

"The bond between the Empire and the Federation has been a long trail strewn with boulders and blood. Many brave warriors have fallen on both sides; it is their blood that seals the oath between our peoples." Karras raised his head proudly.

"We may be primitive savages Q but Klingons honor courage. It took us two hundred years but we finally discovered the truth behind the Federation. The Prime Directive is _not_ cowardice. It takes wisdom and courage to stay your hand. The Prime Directive means we will not deform civilizations unready for our technologies, our ways, and our ideals. We will watch them and wait until they are ready to treat with us as equals."

"The benefits are clear. New ideas, new blood, new technologies. Freely offered in trade, not stolen and plundered."

"Even Klingons can see the value of cultivation, Q. We gain more by following the Prime Directive than discarding it and returning to the old ways."

"So the humans have _domesticated_ you." Q sneered. "Oh well _done_."

"Q." Karras said, smiling broadly. "I am Klingon, not Vulcan. Insult me again and I will slap you sillier than you currently are. Do you understand me, you _p'tak_?"

Q looked at the smiling Klingon, then threw back his head and laughed. With a flash he disappeared and reappeared in the witness stand.

"I like you, Karras." Q said, beaming. "You're almost as much fun as Jean-Luc. Very well gentlemen. I am at your disposal. Ask your questions."

Karras bowed to Spaavok, wordlessly gesturing the Vulcan should go first. Spaavok nodded this thanks and turned to Q.

"You sent _Enterprise_ into Alliance space. Why did you do this?"

"To see what Jean-Luc would do when there was no cheap trick to save the day." Q said, turning serious. "_Mon capitaine _has an absolute genius for cheating the odds. I wanted to give him such a huge challenge there was no way to wiggle out of it."

"Did you precipitate the Reaver attack on New Melbourne?" Spaavok asked.

"No. The Reavers are--_were_ incredibly unstable. By any standard they're utter raving lunatics. When Captain Picard beamed the Reaver onto his ship the Reaver lost whatever feeble grip it had on reality. When he returned the Reaver to its ship the Reaver stirred up a jihad against the _Enterprise._ In _minutes_." Q shook his head.

"It wasn't that hard for the Reaver to do--well, they kill anything that moves. Or did, rather." He said, staring pointedly at Picard who ignored him.

"Other than bringing _Enterprise _into Alliance space and making sure it crossed paths with _Serenity_ did you encourage the events that led to the Reavers' destruction?"

"Not at all." Q smiled at the elderly Vulcan. "I just let nature take its course. The result was inevitable."

"Yet you appeared to Captains Picard and Reynolds after the latter revealed the existence of the Reavers to Captain Picard."

"Yes, well Jean-Luc needed a reminder to get on with it." Q said. "It was _boring_ to watch the _Enterprise_ sitting there day after day doing absolutely nothing. Even such a highly evolved entity as myself has limits."

"One final question, Q. What would have been the result had you not sent _Enterprise _into the Alliance?"

"Sooner or later the Reavers would have annihilated all human life in the Alliance." Q said solemnly. "Twenty years after that the last Reaver would have died of old age. Then nothing even vaguely sentient would have been left."

"Your witness, Advocate." Spaavok returned to his table and sat down.

Karras strode to the witness stand, and smiled at the alien. "You said that you sent _Enterprise_ into Alliance space to rub Captain Picard's nose in it. Why did it matter to you?"

"Because Jean-Luc is so sanctimonious the stench reaches even the Q Continuum." Q said, rolling his eyes.

"Bit of a stuffed shirt, is he?" Karras chuckled.

"You have no idea." Q confided. "Constantly going on about how noble the Federation is, how lofty your ideals are."

"Silly of him." Karras agreed--a low laugh rumbling in his words. "Still, Q, I can't help wondering if you're being entirely candid with me."

"Pardon me?" Q said, clearly offended. "What would be the point in lying? Your Federation is nothing but a bunch of children solemnly gathered in the dark, playing at nobility. It's past time he realizes that."

"No doubt." Karras put one hand on the railing in front of Q, bending over slightly as his laughter overwhelmed him for a moment. Q and several of the judges looked at Karras like he'd lost his mind.

"Oh, oh my, pardon me." He said, regaining control. "It's just so terribly _funny_."

"What is?" Q asked suspiciously.

"Well, you, actually." Karras snorted but managed to head off another bout of laughter. "I mean, here you want to put Picard in his place so you go so far as to kidnap him into another _universe_. And in that whole universe there's apparently only one civilization. Which just happens to be so monumentally fouled up that their own creations are about to obliterate the entire place."

"Then, oh my, and _then_ you put a bunch of smugglers and petty thieves in his path. Given all that, you tell him Armageddon is about to befall and then you stand back and watch."

"Yes, and?" Q raised a supercilious eyebrow.

"_And Picard proceeds to save the day, proving himself the hero after all_." Karras bellowed merrily. "Making a fool of you--_again_." He grinned amiably at Q who sat with his mouth hanging open.

Before Q could do something unfortunate Karras turned off his glee like a light switch, leaving a menacing Klingon warrior who didn't look the least bit amused.

"Of course that wasn't the way it happened, was it Q?" Karras growled. "You're a super-intelligent nearly god-like being. Your power exceeds that of the Organians, does it not? There's no way a mere human could make a fool of you--unless that was your intention all along."

"Go on." Q was watching Karras carefully now.

"Just before the final meeting when Picard decided to engage the Reaver fleet there was a conversation on the bridge of the _Enterprise_ between you, Captain Picard, Captain Reynolds and River Tam. A young girl--who managed to tear out your throat if memory serves?" His grin was savage, and Q looked slightly uncomfortable.

"During that meeting River Tam said you were wearing a collar and leash, and you replied you had to follow your own version of the Prime Directive." Karras lowered his voice.

"I believe you wanted to save the Alliance from the Reavers, Q. It's possible you took advantage of the situation to bring Captain Picard down a couple of notches, but your real intent was to save the Alliance--because _you were the one who endangered it with your meddling in the first place!_" The Klingon accused Q in a thundering voice that echoed around the courtroom.

"What? That's preposterous. What did I do?" Q protested angrily.

"The drug paxilon hydrochlorate is a synthetic serotonin analog developed by the Andorians." Karras said. "Its effects are harmless to Andorians; they use it to treat depression among other things. Isn't it _amazing_ how the Alliance managed to discover the drug on their own?" He glared at Q.

"Well, I might have helped--a little." Q admitted grudgingly. "But I'm not on trial here. Jean-Luc is. And you're supposed to be defending him, not cross-examining me."

"But I _am _defending him, Q. You just admitted to setting the whole chain of events into motion. You used _Enterprise_ to clean up a mess of your own making. You are responsible for the deaths of millions of people."

"How was I supposed to know those stupid humans would use the drug on Miranda?" Q retorted hotly. "I _told _the Guid--the development team those particular amino acids would make the drug turn deadly. They ignored me and used it anyway. It was their own fault."

"You asked me the reason why I defend the Prime Directive, Q?" Karras said. "It's really very simple. I'm looking at it right now."

Q glared at Karras. "Oh, well played Klingon. Well played. You win." Q smiled an ugly smile.

"Here's your prize."

Q vanished. In his place sat a hideously deformed human with scars all over his face, dressed in thin ragged hides. The creature looked around in confusion for a moment, and then a slow delighted grin split that hideous face.

The Reaver roared, lunging toward Karras, bare hands outstretched.


	10. Ch 10 Jinxed

"How goes it?" Malcolm asked his pilot as he settled into the co-pilot's seat.

"Smooth as butter." Wash answered in a relaxed tone. "We'll be entering orbit in five minutes. If I didn't know better I'd say the gods were smiling on us."

"Hush up, you wanna jinx us?" Mal said only half in jest. The 'verse loved to torment him. Since he wasn't religious he substituted superstition. Of course it didn't help so many powerful people in the 'verse _actually_ disliked him...

"Relax, Mal." Wash said, grinning. "The only thing with big scary teeth around here is Rex."

"Rex?" Mal raised one eyebrow. Wash picked up a toy dinosaur and showed it to the Captain.

"Tyrannosaurus Rex." Wash said. "See? Great big--" He was interrupted by a warbling tone followed by an insistent beeping.

"Oh _tzao gao! _Mal, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry!" Wash started to babble as he frantically threw switches.

"_Zenme le_?" Mal asked in growing alarm.

"I jinxed us. Bad."

"How bad?"

"_Dortmunder_ bad. She's in orbit. We're gonna fly within ten klicks of her." Wash said, face pale.

"_Aiya women wanle._" Mal breathed. He grabbed the mike. "Zoe, to the bridge, and get a wiggle on!"

"Has she seen us?" Mal demanded of his pilot.

Wash snorted. "Unless the whole bridge crew is drunk, or dead, or stepped out for a breath of air, yeah they've seen us. You do remember Alliance cruisers are mobile customs inspection stations, right? As in: Oh Grandma, what big eyes you got? She probably spotted us ten minutes ago."

"You sure it's _Dortmunder_?" Mal asked, grasping at a final straw.

"I'm sure. _Enterprise _fixed our KIR/IFF, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Mal slumped. "Well, I did save her captain's hide from that Reaver. Maybe she'll look the other way."

The incoming message light started to flash.

"Or not." He said with a sigh. He flipped the switch and saw none other than Commander Harken's face on the screen. _Speak of the devil, _he thought sourly.

"_Serenity_, this is _Dortmunder._ Ah, Captain Reynolds. Good afternoon." Commander Harken nodded politely.

_What's he playing at? _Mal wondered. _First time it was "Surrender your ship and prepare to be boarded, pirate scum."_

"Afternoon." Malcolm answered automatically. "Small 'verse, Commander." 

"I was just thinking the same thing, Captain. I'm surprised to see you this close to the Core. I thought you preferred the wide open spaces of the outer planets."

"Well, you know how it is, ownin' your own ship." Mal said. "You go where the work is."

"It's not terribly different commanding an IAV, actually." Harken said with a chuckle. Inside Mal cringed. The other man was being _pleasant. _He was aiming for _friendly_. It was giving Mal the heebie-jeebies.

"It's convenient your ship will be passing so close to mine, actually, Captain Reynolds." Commander Harken continued.

_Here it comes_. Mal thought, tensing.

"And why might that be, Commander?" Mal asked, trying for pleasant and hoping it didn't come out squeaky.

"There's someone on board who wants to speak with you, Captain. She's authorized me to tell you it could be very profitable for you."

"Really." _How many folks got the pull to authorize an IAV commander to do somethin'?_ He wondered._ This is gonna end in tears. Mine, like as not._

Zoe came into the bridge, moving fast. She took one look at the video screen and froze, just outside the camera's view.

"I take it this is one of _those _kind o' invites?" Mal asked fatalistically.

Commander Harken paused, looking off camera. He looked back at Mal.

"Let's just say she's generous to her friends, Captain." Commander Harken seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "No one likes to be rude, now do they?"

"No, that'd be unneighborly." Mal agreed with a sinking heart. "Wash, why don't you correct our course. I'm sure _Dortmunder_ will be happy to give us an approach vector."

"Beacon 773, _Serenity_." Commander Harken said. "I'm sure you'll understand if I caution you not to deviate from the approach vector? Things are a bit--unsettled at the moment. I'd hate for there to be a misunderstanding. _Dortmunder _out."

"He's a mite tense, ain't he?" Mal said after a moment. "Only thing makes a big fish like that nervous is when a bigger fish is nosing about."

"What's with the warm and fuzzies?" Wash asked plaintively. "First time they treated us like we were flying the Jolly Roger. Second time they give Book the royal treatment and then kicked us out like two-day old dead fish."

"Third time's the charm?" Mal asked sarcastically. "I dunno 'bout you, but the good Commander tryin' for friendly gives River a run for her money in creepification and that's a fact."

"What's our odds, sir?" Zoe asked calmly.

"Same as usual. No place to run, no place to hide, and here's us, square in the middle. I am plumb tired o' being _special_." He sighed. "Ok, we gotta hide Simon and River. Put 'em out on the hull in suits like afore, I reckon."

"I don't think so." Wash said slowly, in a tone that made the other two glance out the window.

_Serenity _had approached _Dortmunder_ from "above"--that is from the tips of her towers. Now she was traveling at only a few meters per second relative to the larger ship, moving around to the landing field on her base.

And into a cloud of ASREVs floating in the shadow of _Dortmunder's _bulk. Mal felt his stomach muscles tighten in fear. Then he forced himself to relax. _Serenity_ was unarmed and the gunboats bristled with missiles and auto-cannon. One gunboat could blow _Serenity _out of the sky. There were at least twenty ASREVs in that cloud.

"_Guai-guai long de dong!_" Zoe swore softly. "Sir, those _can't _be for us."

"Well, Harken did mention things bein' a mite unsettled." Mal said reflectively. "They're expectin' trouble. Wonder what's big enough to make _Dortmunder _nervous? And why are they just hanging there? Shouldn't they be in their launch bays?"

"Am I crazy or are they trying to ambush someone?" Wash asked as he very carefully finessed _Serenity's _bulk away from the nearest ASREV without deviating from the vector they'd been given.

"Or tryin' to keep from bein' bushwhacked." Mal said thoughtfully.

"Her point defenses are active, sir." Zoe said quietly. "See? But they aren't tracking us. You'd think they would be."

"Curiouser and curiouser." Mal murmured. The other two stared at him, Wash with his mouth hanging open.

"Yes, I have read a book; try not to faint, Wash. Guess that scotches stashin' River on the outside o' the hull." He said regretfully.

"_Serenity, _this is _Dortmunder _traffic control. You are directed to land at refueling point 4. Once there begin your fueling operations without delay. Acknowledge."

"_What?_" Mal stared at the radio like it had exploded. Wash picked up the mike.

"_Dortmunder_, say again." Wash said. "It sounded like you plan to refuel us."

"Affirmative, _Serenity_. You are cleared for priority refueling. Be advised other spacecraft are in queue, please complete your refueling operation stat. _Hippasus _is waiting as are _Iolaus _and _Acastus_. We are at combat readiness alert, be ready to clear the refueling point if so ordered.

"Roger that, _Dortmunder_." Wash said, slipping _Serenity_ into position and starting the automated refueling procedure.

"What in the name of all that's pink and fuzzy is going on?" Mal asked, bemused.

"It's the real deal, boss." Wash said watching the fuel gauges. "We're taking on fuel as fast as _Serenity_ can gulp it down. We'll be full in ten minutes, maybe less."

"_Serenity, _move to docking area 17 when refueling is complete." The radio said unexpectedly. "Acknowledge."

"Acknowledged." Wash said, acting purely on autopilot. He traded glances with Mal.

"Feels like we're getting ready for a sortie doesn't it?" Zoe said quietly.

"That's a fact." Mal said. "Thing is, I don't remember signin' up to be no purple belly. Even dead drunk that that's somethin' what would stick in a man's head."

"They're going out of their way to be nice to us." Wash said in a worried voice. "That can't be good."

"Second rule they teach you in the army, baby. When the brass are bein' friendly it's time to duck for cover." His wife said flatly.

"And they ain't even our brass." Mal said. "That makes it double perplexin'. Zoe, go tell the rest o' the crew what's goin' on. I got a feelin' we may be havin' visitors soon."

"Be nice if I knew what was going on, sir." Zoe said but she left the bridge to pass on the news.

Mal worried and watched the cloud of ASREVs and worried and watched the probing muzzles of the point defense turrets and worried some more. Wash watched the gauges rising to full, and left the worrying to Mal. He was better at it.

Finally, _Serenity _had drunk her fill and Wash lifted away from the refueling point, moving to the designated docking area. As soon as he powered down the engines the incoming message light started to flash.

"What, they were _waiting_ for us?" Mal exclaimed. "_O, zhe zhen shi ge kuai le de jinzhan_."

"Temper, temper." Wash cautioned his boss. "They just gave us a free fill up. Wouldn't want to have to give it back would you?"

Mal glanced at his pilot grumpily then pressed the switch. Commander Harken's face greeted him. _Oh joy, _Mal thought.

"Captain Reynolds, I trust your refueling is complete?"

"Yeah, about that...why'd you top us off? Not that I'm complainin', mind." Mal reminded himself to be polite--at least while _Serenity _was still under that cloud of ASREVs.

"A good will gesture from the lady." Commander Harken said politely. "Trust me, Captain, if it were up to me I wouldn't have lifted a finger as you went by, but she had other ideas. Speaking of which, she'd like to meet you and your crew to discuss the job she has in mind." Harken paused meaningfully. "Your _entire_ crew, Captain. The Tams included."

Mal froze for a moment, and then said blandly. "Who?"

Harken smiled. "Don't worry, Captain. The warrants for the Tams have been recalled. I suspect Parliament's reevaluating its recent stand on certain issues. Of course you can do as you like, but if the Tams aren't in that meeting I've been _instructed_ to search your ship." He grimaced. "I _really _do not want to do that. I think you'd prefer if I didn't either."

"True enough." Mal admitted. _Especially with all that platinum still on board. Could be a mite embarrassing. If I didn't know better I'd swear he's trying to help us._

"I'm sending Ensign Johnson to escort you to the conference room, Captain. I'd like him back in one piece, please. Oh, and of course leave your side arms onboard your vessel. The security guards tend to get nervous when they see civilians with guns. You understand."

"I do. You'll get your ensign back too, shiny as a new penny. Scout's honor."

"I'll give you a few minutes to make arrangements, Captain. Expect Ensign Johnson shortly. _Dortmunder_ out."

Mal followed Wash into the dining area, wondering how he was going to explain this to Simon. He found the entire crew including Inara assembled. The mood was grim.

"Ok, looks like we done fell down the rabbit hole." Mal announced. "_Dortmunder's _filled our tanks for us, butter wouldn't melt in Harken's mouth and we're gonna meet with a new client in about five minutes for a job I suspect is gonna pay powerful well but fit Wash's description of _really interestin'_."

"How do you define really interesting, Wash?" Inara asked uneasily.

"Oh God, oh God, we're all gonna die?" He answered, smiling brightly. The joke hadn't met rave reviews the first time round; this time the silence was deafening.

"What about River and me?" Simon asked. Mal winced.

"Well, there's good news and there's bad news." He finally said. Simon looked alarmed.

"The good news is Commander Harken tells me the arrest warrants on the two of you have been lifted." The look on Simon's face made Mal grin widely for a moment. Then he sobered. "The bad news is a bit more bountiful. First, we can't put you and your sister out on the hull again 'cause there's at least twenty gunboats hanging in a cloud over our heads. Second, Commander Harken said our client had requested both of you _by name_. And just to put the cherry on top, he informs me if you don't show up he's gonna have a platoon of purple bellies scour _Serenity_ from stem to stern looking for you."

Mal looked away. "Funny thing. He _also_ said he didn't wanna have to search the ship."

"We're dead." Simon folded forward and buried his head under his arms.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Mal said slowly. Simon surfaced, looking hopeful.

"Mind you, it's just a gut feelin'." Mal cautioned. "But something big is goin' down and we're right in the middle of it. _Dortmunder's_ on combat alert. Must be something mighty big could make a ship like this one nervous."

"Maybe _Enterprise_ came back?" Inara asked.

Mal shook his head. "Captain Picard told me they wasn't plannin' first contact cause the Alliance is too squirrelly. Too much didn't make sense, he said. Sides, they got that Prime Directive thingy. This don't feel like _Enterprise_."

"More Reavers?" Jayne asked fearfully. "Reavers'd make anybody twitchy."

_"Enterprise _punched their ticket." Mal said dismissively. "Got 'em all. Leastways got the biggest part. No more fleet. Commander Harken's no coward; one Reaver ship wouldn't spook him thisaway."

"What bothers me," Zoe spoke up. "is how come Harken's fetching and carrying for this lady client. She must be some mighty big wheel to be able to give orders to a cruiser commander."

"There is that." Mal nodded. "But thing is, we gotta move. No tellin' what'll happen if the escort knocks and we ain't there to open the door. Oh, and Zoe, Jayne, no guns." He unbuckled his and laid it on the table. Zoe followed suit, but Jayne hesitated.

"They'll shoot your sorry _pigu_ you go armed." Mal warned him. With a heavy sigh Jayne pulled a knife from his boot and a delicate-looking pistol from the small of his back. Debating with himself he finally shrugged and pulled a throwing knife from between his shoulder blades, tossing it on the table with a dull _tunk_.

With many misgivings the crew moved down to the cargo hold and waited for the Alliance. They'd been waiting less than two minutes when the lock signaled someone wanted entrance.

Squaring his shoulders Mal moved to the airlock, half expecting to see gun barrels leveled at him when the armored door slid aside. Instead, he stared completely nonplused at what did await him.

"Huh." He said finally.


	11. Ch 11 Coyote’s Parting Prank

In spite of being an old man Karras was neither weak nor infirm. A lifetime of training took over. He was already moving before the Reaver started to lunge. He spun as the Reaver slid past, dipping one shoulder and rising with a roar of effort. The Reaver's momentum did the rest, flipping him into a somersault and slamming him flat on his back from six feet in the air.

Not even stunned the Reaver started a back flip onto his feet, only to meet Karras's hand coming down. A human would have used a fist and aimed for the chin or nose.

But Karras was Klingon.

The Reaver's roar was cut short as Karras's stiffened fingers slammed into the Reaver's windpipe with the Klingon warrior's full weight and momentum behind the hand spear. It shattered the Reaver's larynx and ruptured his trachea.

Already dead but not realizing it, the Reaver slammed a fist into the side of Karras's head. The Klingon staggered back and the Reaver converted the aborted back flip into a shoulder roll that brought him face to face with Spaavok. In deadly silence the Reaver grabbed the elderly Vulcan's head in both hands and rammed his own skull into Spaavok's. The crack was audible to everyone in the room. Spaavok dropped to the floor when the Reaver released him.

Captain Picard was already moving, he vaulted onto the table and spinning around on his outstretched arms snapped both heels into the Reaver's face with as much force as he could.

The Reaver's head snapped backward and the force of the kick staggered him. He straightened, and looked at Picard, who was now crouched on the table waiting another opportunity to attack. The Reaver paused and then quite slowly smiled in obscene good humor.

Blood poured out of his mouth and down his front, spilling on the floor. There was a surprising amount of it. The Reaver took a purposeful step forward, obviously intent on committing more mayhem. Then he staggered. Looking puzzled the hideous creature blinked and fell over, hitting the floor with the boneless impact only a corpse can achieve.

From Q vanishing to the Reaver collapsing less than twenty seconds had elapsed. Karras was still on his feet, but obviously unable to focus, Spaavok was on the floor, either dead or unconscious, Picard couldn't tell which.

"_SECURITY!"_ Admiral Nakamura bellowed even as the doors were sliding open and the guards raced into the room. The next few minutes were chaotic as more guards joined the throng and medical personnel tended Spaavok and Karras. The Reaver was carried off to the morgue. Spaavok had come to, but had suffered a major concussion and was on his way to the hospital.

The Klingon fumed at the medic trying to treat the massive bruise that stretched from his hairline down past the corner of his eye. No one else had been injured in the attack.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. We Klingons have thick skulls you know." He grabbed the medic's tricorder and handed it him. "Now go bother someone else will you? I have to speak with my client."

"Hmmf." The medic snorted. "All right but if you have blurred vision or nausea--"

"Yes, yes, I'll come see you immediately. I was suffering head wounds long before your _parents_ were born youngling. I know the drill."

Shaking his head the medic departed.

"It seems Advocate Karras I may owe you my life." Captain Picard said as the two of them settled behind the defense table. "My best_ Ko-ku-lu chagi_ only slowed it down for a moment."

"Yes, well that's what Advocates _do_, Captain. I must say this is the most fun I've had in a courtroom in over a hundred years." He grinned. "Although I do believe in the Prime Directive, it does my old Klingon heart good to engage in a spirited defense! And against a fearsome Reaver no less."

"You seemed to deal with him easily enough." Picard noted. Karras nodded.

"Be they ever so strong, no humanoid can survive if you crush their windpipe. But just between us, I admit I was lucky. If it had had proper warrior skills the outcome could have been very different. While fierce its attacks were pure animal instinct. You said your Captain Reynolds killed one bare handed?"

"While _manacled_." Picard noted. Karras raised his eyebrows.

"I would very much like to meet the man who could kill a Reaver with his hands chained in front of him! Most impressive indeed. Our hideous friend did do us one favor, however." Karras turned serious.

"I cannot believe one judge on that panel will vote to continue the trial after our little scuffle. It is one thing to hear about the Reavers, it is another to be in the same room with one while it goes berserk." Karras grinned. "Especially when the Reaver head-butts the Prosecutor into unconsciousness. I must remember to thank Q if I see him again."

"_Thank _him? For nearly killing us all?" Captain Picard asked incredulously. Karras nodded.

"Of course. First, I got to exercise warrior skills I haven't used in a century. Second, the Reaver attack guarantees your acquittal on all charges. Third, Spaavok now owes me a _huge _favor." Karras chuckled. "And finally I get one last warrior's tale to tell my grandchildren's children."

"Q does no one favors deliberately." Captain Picard warned the Klingon, who chuckled again.

"No? I think you misjudge him, Captain. His meddling may have endangered the Alliance, true. But--how did Captain Reynolds put it? Ah yes, that sly old coyote did what was needful in the end. His meddling killed millions--and saved billions."

"And this little prank cleared your name. He returned the crew you thought lost to the Borg, and the Federation knows about the Collective now. We have time to prepare." He turned and looked Picard in the eye.

"How much do you know about Coyote, Captain? The ancient trickster River named Q after?"

"Not a great deal." Picard admitted. "He played tricks; he caused no end of problems for those he tormented."

"I studied the legends about Coyote." Karras said. "I thought it would grant me some insights into Q's character. The stories about Coyote are so widespread on your Earth I suspect Q may have been meddling in human affairs for a long time indeed."

"You think _Q_ was the inspiration for the Coyote of myth?" Picard asked.

"I'm nearly certain of it. Coyote is noted for being a trickster, yes. But he's also credited with creating humans in some of the stories. He's credited with stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans. It could mean Q helped humans develop some of the first technologies. I find it interesting he is supposed to teach people by folly, showing them how silly they are and by doing so how to improve themselves."

"That certainly fits how he perceives himself." Picard said thoughtfully. Karras nodded.

"Coyote plays pranks, and not all of them are harmless ones--in some of the legends people die when Coyote plays cruel tricks."

"Q again." Picard nodded.

"And sometimes, Coyote is too clever by half; he catches himself in his own tricks." Karras said with a grin. "Like the Alliance business."

Karras was interrupted by Admiral Nakamura's gavel.

"Order in the court! Order! All persons not directly involved in this case are to clear the courtroom immediately. This court martial will resume in just a few moments."

Slowly he was obeyed as various security and medical personnel left the room. When only the people directly involved were left Admiral Nakamura resumed speaking.

"In light of the dramatic demonstration Q arranged for this court to participate in--" He coughed. "My colleagues and I have arrived at the conclusion Reavers are indeed hopelessly psychotic, murderous victims of a mind control regime gone horribly wrong. Given the evidence collected by _Enterprise _during her sojourn into Alliance space and the Reaver attack that has left Prosecutor Spaavok hospitalized, it is the verdict of this court Captain Picard acted in the only manner open to him, that he exercised proper command discretion in defense of not only _Enterprise_ but the Alliance civilization itself. In destroying the Reavers Captain Picard acted rightly and no blame can be attached to him."

"Further, in the matter of violating the Prime Directive it is the judgment of this court Captain Picard exercised proper command discretion in the choice of who and how he revealed the existence of the Federation to the crew of _Serenity_, that his actions in no way compromised the development of the Alliance, and further that without exercise of his discretion it is highly probably billions of sentient beings would have perished in a ghastly cataclysm we here cannot truly envision."

"Therefore the verdict of this court is that Captain Picard acted in the finest traditions of Star Fleet, performed his duties to the full extent of the law, and was instrumental in saving a civilization equal in technological prowess to our own, notwithstanding their lack of FTL travel."

"Captain Picard is hereby cleared of all charges and commanded to return to full duty immediately as captain of the _Enterprise_."

"Finally, there are a few matters in closing. All participants are reminded these proceedings are sealed, and classified. No participant is to discuss these matters with anyone who was not directly involved, further the existence of Alliance Space is considered a matter of utmost secrecy. This matter is hereby restricted to members of the Federation council for further consideration. General Order 4 is hereby extended to cover revealing Alliance space to non Federation council members."

"Finally, on a personal note the court wishes to extend its deepest appreciation to Advocate Karras and his heroic actions against the Reaver. It is very possible without his timely actions this court would not be here to deliver its verdict."

"This court martial is concluded." The gavel came down with a particularly loud _bang_.

Karras started to bellow his laughter, grabbing Jean-Luc in a bear hug that made the human's ribs creak.

"Ha! Victory is sweet, is it not my dear Captain?" Karras said still rumbling laughter. "Let's go get drunk to celebrate!"

"You know that sounds like a _very _good idea." Picard said.

Karras lowered his voice. "I have a thirty year old stash of Romulan ale we can quaff. I've been waiting for an appropriate time to broach a bottle of it. You've given an old warrior one final tale so now is the time."

"By all means, lead on." Picard gestured to the gnarled and elderly warrior.


	12. Ch 12 An Offer They Can’t Refuse

"Captain Reynolds, _sir!_" A young man, no older than 18 if that, snapped a text-book perfect salute to Mal. "Ensign Johnson, _sir!_ I am to escort you and your crew to your meeting with Madame Li. You are granted permission to come aboard, _sir!_"

The Ensign was nearly vibrating from standing to attention. He was a living recruitment poster, face shining clean, noble brow, earnest, polite and--

"They sent a gorram _puppy?_" Jayne exclaimed incredulously.

"Jayne!" Inara snapped. "That was incredibly rude. I'm terribly sorry, Ensign. Mr. Cobb doesn't understand how to behave in civilized company."

"You're a Companion, aren't you?" He asked, startled into forgetting his military bearing. "I mean, sorry ma'am!" He actually blushed. "Captain, if you and your crew would please follow me Madame Li is waiting to meet with you."

"At ease, Ensign. Where's your armed escort?" Malcolm asked, in spite of himself. _Bring him back in one piece, huh? _He thought to himself. _Harken's got a twisted sense o' humor. Was I ever this young and serious? He ain't old enough to shave yet._

"Sir?" The Ensign's brow creased in puzzlement. "My orders were to come and escort you to the meeting. I was specifically ordered to come alone."

"Ah. Well, never mind then." Mal said quickly. "Can't keep the lady waitin', so if you'd be so kind?"

"If you'll follow me, sir." The Ensign said and marched down the corridor. _Text book perfect naval officer, this one_. Mal thought sadly. _All shiny 'cause he ain't had time to get dinged up yet. Kinda reminds me o' Tracy afore he went bad. Damn shame..._

They followed the Ensign down the corridor, thorough several turns, and finally to a door marked _Conference Room LP17._

"Here you are, _sir!_ Madame Li is waiting inside for you. I'm to escort you back once the meeting is concluded." He snapped another salute to Mal, who didn't have the heart not to return it. He noticed the Ensign's eyes following Inara as she entered the room. He grinned as soon as he was out of Ensign Johnson's sight.

The grin cut off when he saw what waited for him. An elderly lady stood behind the conference room table radiating the kind of serene power only the ultra rich seemed to have. Next to her stood a younger woman perhaps in her mid twenties. Although quite attractive there was something in her demeanor that started ringing alarm bells in Mal's head.

_Bodyguard_. He thought to himself. _At the very least. Maybe something worse._ Years of living on the edge of the law and the outer planets had honed his instincts. Pretty or not this one was dangerous.

Of course Jayne was openly leering at the younger woman oblivious to any danger signals. The young lady politely acted as though the mercenary wasn't there. Mal made a mental note to warn Jayne about her later. _Though it would be right entertainin' to see her clean the floor with him. _Mal thought, smirking to himself.

"Captain Reynolds, it's good to finally meet you. And you, River."

"'Fraid you got the advantage, ma'am." Mal said with sinking heart. In his experience it was a very bad thing when the other side knew your name and you didn't know theirs.

"Pardon me, Captain Reynolds. My name is Li Kai-ying; I am the Chairman of the Board for Blue Sun Corporation. You may address me as Madame Li. My companion is Cheng Ying-Tai, she is my aide."

Mal hoped his heart hadn't really stopped beating.

_No wonder Harken was fetchin' and carryin'. _Mal thought bitterly. _Damn woman's twice as rich as God and damn near as powerful. 'Specially since I don't believe in God. We are so gorram humped._

"I hear you got a job for us, ma'am." Mal heard his own voice going on without him.

"Perhaps, Captain. Obviously I want to find out if your reputation is deserved first. Won't you be seated?"

Niska had said pretty much the same thing to him. And look how _that _had turned out...

"Yeah, well as to that, reputations can be a mite--embroidered in the tellin'."

He looked left and right, instinctively checking his crew. Inara was tense; she knew who this woman was. _Would have loved to know myself afore fallin' into this viper's nest. _He thought bitterly. Simon was staring curiously, obviously he knew her by reputation. The others looked a bit awed, but no more than they would in meeting any other Alliance big brass.

"Ah, but you see Captain I've been following your escapades for some time now." Madame Li said with a smile. "They really are quite extraordinary. Larger than life, you might say."

_This is not good. Not good in any way, shape, or form._ Mal thought, mind kicking into overdrive.

"Things happen _around_ you, Captain." She said, leaning forward and propping her chin on folded hands. "But never _to_ you. Why is that?"

"'Cause I live right and try to stay out of other folks business?" He offered with a bright smile.

"You killed Miranda." River said suddenly. "The ghosts wrap around you like a shroud. So many, so very, very many. They're not screaming, they aren't making any noise, no noise at all. So quiet...and there's no blood."

Madame Li's eyes snapped to River but she didn't move otherwise. Her skin may have grown a shade paler but that could have been Mal's imagination. Obviously River's outburst had scored a direct hit.

"Little bird, what have I told you about creepifyin' clients?" Mal said lightly. "Hush now. So who's Miranda?" Mal's mouth asked before his mind could body-slam the errant organ into silence. Sitting back Madame Li studied him with a calm look.

"You really don't know, do you Captain?" She said at last. "River never told you, did she?"

"Uh, no. Look, this Miranda probably deserved to die, 'specially if she was coming after you. I got no problem with that. People try to kill you, you kill them first. Just stands to reason."

The old woman watched him with a slight smile, as though she were amused. But something about her eyes sent a chill down Mal's spine. She wasn't looking at him, she was seeing a memory.

"Last month, Captain, you had an encounter with a bounty hunter named Jubal Early, did you not?"

Mal's mind raced.

"Might have done." He admitted reluctantly. "You send him?"

"In a manner of speaking." Madame Li said. "I wasn't involved directly, you understand. But we've been looking for River a very long time. It's amazing how she evaded us for over a year, isn't it?"

Simon's face twisted in anger and he was about to say something when she held up a placating hand.

"Doctor, you needn't worry. You and your sister are safe. There's no reason to keep chasing her now."

"Since you captured us you mean?" Simon said bitterly. She laughed.

"Captured you? My good doctor I'm here to _hire_ you. Well, hire _Serenity_. I have no further interest in chasing River."

Some awful realization was stirring in Mal's subconscious, like a huge dark shadow under a struggling swimmer. He could feel the dread sliding through him. Something absolutely awful was coming, and he couldn't do anything to stop it...

River was watching the younger woman like she had the Reavers. Like a cat at a mouse hole. This did not fill Mal with confidence. Especially when he remembered what she had done to Q.

"Captain, I want to know what happened to the _Sa Shui Jiao_. Tell me that and you're hired." Madame Li turned her attention back to Mal.

"The three storms?" Mal's brow crinkled in honest bewilderment. "What are you talking about? Plus you ain't told us the job yet. Deal's got two sides, last time I looked."

"The _Sa Shui Jiao_." Madame Li repeated patiently. "A hunter-killer sent after _Serenity_ once Jubal Early located your ship but vanished immediately afterward. The _Sa Shui Jiao_ also vanished. So you can see, Captain Reynolds I have reason to think your reputation is well deserved."

Mal knew his face wouldn't show the shock he felt, nor would Zoe's.

Kaylee's, on the other hand, was a different story. Madame Li looked at her expression of fear and growing anger and decades of political savvy told her everything she needed to know. She nodded in satisfaction. Kaylee's eyes widened even further as she realized she had somehow spilled the beans.

"So you _do_ know what happened to them. Tell me."

"Jubal Early's dead." Mal said, deciding a half truth would have to serve. "Killed him myself. Put him into space with just the air he had in his suit. He deserved it too. Threatened to rape Kaylee to get at River. I don't hold with men who do such things. Nor those that hire them."

"Jubal Early was a bounty hunter, Captain. One of many after River. It's unfortunate he was the one who found you. My apologies, Kaylee. Had I known I would have made sure we never engaged Mr. Early's services."

Mal studied her. She seemed sincere enough but he didn't trust her any further than he could throw _Serenity_. He decided to avoid a head-on confrontation if he could. She could probably snap her fingers and make them vanish if she wanted. She had enough money; she could do nearly _anything_.

"Apology accepted. True enough, you can't always control your crew." Mal said. "That being said, I still ain't heard what the job is."

"And I haven't heard what happened to the _Sa Shui Jiao_."

"Never laid eyes on her." Mal said truthfully. During the hunter-killer's attack _Serenity_ had been safe beneath _Enterprise's _shields. The attacking ship had been too far away to see and moving at speeds measured in kilometers per second. Humans simply weren't designed to deal with the realities of space combat directly.

Madame Li changed direction. "Very well. For the sake of argument let's say I believe you. _Sa Shui Jiao_ reported that when she found you, you had rendezvoused with another ship. Which ship, Captain? What were you doing?"

_Damn. Caught good and proper and no mistake._ He decided to lie by telling her a different truth instead. He seriously doubted the hunter-killer had managed to report what _Enterprise_ looked like--not with all that had been going on.

"I can't give you details." Mal said, frowning. "My reputation would be humped if it came out I was givin' away my client's secrets, _dong ma?_" Madame Li nodded.

"We had met up with another ship to let a passenger disembark." He said, actually talking about another deal that had occurred long before the Tams came onboard. "Won't say what ship, or what passenger. Got well paid to keep that dark. Didn't ask no questions as to why they was travelin', just asked 'em where to meet the other ship and if they had the coin. Ain't seen 'em since. That's how it works."

He thought he'd blown it when Madame Li broke into a wide smile.

"Excellent, Captain Reynolds!" She said approvingly. "I can see your reputation for keeping your word is deserved as well."

"Man's only as good as his word." Mal said seriously. "I take the job, I finish it. Then I get paid."

"Very well, Captain. The job is simple enough--a charter. I will charter _Serenity_ for the sum of one hundred thousand credits for an unspecified length of time not to exceed one year, to travel to various destinations as yet to be determined. Fuel and normal wear and tear on your ship will be paid for from the charter fee which will be paid into an escrow account. At the end of the charter I will give you the transfer codes for the account so you can get the balance of your fee."

"I and my aide will be your sole passengers during the charter, nor will you accept other jobs while under charter. That's it."

He studied her curiously.

"I love _Serenity _dearly, Madame Li." Malcolm said, after absorbing the extraordinary offer. "But I gotta say she ain't no svelte private yacht nor a luxury cruise liner. Her accommodations ain't fit for a fine lady such as yourself. You'll find _Serenity_'_s _a giant step down from what you're used to."

"And while your offer is powerful generous I gotta wonder why the richest woman in the Alliance would wanna charter my little boat when she could have any ship in the 'verse. Makes me wonder if there ain't one or two small details you're forgettin' to mention."

Just then the lights went out and the gravity lessened noticeably. The room shuddered and seemed to tilt slightly. Almost immediately the room returned to level and emergency lighting came on.

In the dimness Madame Li sighed. "Don't you just love narrative convention, Captain? Yes, there are a couple of small details I neglected to mention. Like an assassin who's trying to kill me and has already killed four other members of the board. Oh, and did I mention one of those board members was in her compound and the compound was destroyed by orbital bombardment?" She smiled brightly at Mal.

"And there's the little matter of you not having the option of saying no. I hate to insist but this _is_ my life we're talking about. Keep me safe and the money is yours, Captain. There are of course penalty clauses if you try to betray me. Dead man switches, keep alive codes, I'm sure you're familiar with them."

Mal nodded gloomily. _If she dies the money goes poof._ He thought. _Don't really matter, 'cause we got all that platinum, but she don't know that. Before we met _Enterprise_ I'd have jumped at this job. Probably no worse than havin' to dodge the Alliance the better part of a year now._

Then there was the matter of his reputation. _She dies and word gets around--jobs'll dry up and that will be the end of us_.

"Anything else?" He asked lightly.

"One last minor detail." She said happily. "_Dortmunder _is under attack. We've got to get to your ship and launch _now_, while the confusion lasts."


	13. Ch 13 Sometimes You’re The Hound

The Operative hummed happily under his breath as the ship entered orbit around Constance. Everything was going according to plan; _Dortmunder _was in orbit less than a hundred kilometers away and as far as his ship could determine no ships had left _Dortmunder_ for the planet's surface. He confirmed the proper IFF codes were available, along with his ace in the hole.

Life was good. He began his approach to _Dortmunder_.

Onboard _Dortmunder_ the telemetry officer signaled Commander Harken, who was just settling down to dinner.

"Sir, sorry to bother you but you requested reports of any unusual traffic. We just spotted an IR signature without a corresponding radar trace entering standard orbit about a hundred kilometers behind us. Once maneuvering was complete we lost the IR signature."

"Very good, Bridge. Notify the ASREV Flight Commander we have a possible bogey. Is the landing platform still facing forward?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. Tell the Flight Commander the code is _L'Amour._ I'm on my way to the bridge. Move us from Combat Readiness to Hostilities Imminent."

"Aye, aye sir."

The commander waved the waiter over. "Change my order to a ham sandwich and oolong tea and send it to the bridge. Extend my regrets to the chef, duty calls."

On the way to the bridge he called Madame Li.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Looks like you weren't being paranoid after all, Madame Li." He said. "We have an unidentified stealth ship entering orbit behind us, intentions unknown."

"Very well. The crew of _Serenity_ are on their way to meet with me now. If it is the assassin I want you to destroy that ship, or failing that buy me some time to escape in the confusion."

"Understood. Keep in mind combat is a chancy business, Madame Li. Let's hope Captain Reynolds can live up to his lofty reputation."

"From your mouth to Buddha's ears, Captain." She broke the connection. Harken took the high speed elevator to the bridge, which was actually buried in the middle of the largest tower, and not at the tip.

"Captain on the bridge!" his second in command called out as soon as he came through the door.

"I have the bridge, sir." Commander Harken used the time worn phrase without even thinking about it.

"Telemetry, any sign of our bogey?"

"Negative, sir. Radar is clear, IR signature, radiation detection, and passive optical, all negative."

"Well, let's hope our bogey doesn't want to shoot first and ask questions afterward. What about the ASREVs?"

"ASREV Flight Commander reports Dry Gulch protocol is active, ASREVs are standing by, primed to launch at the Flight Commander's discretion."

"Very well. And now--we wait." Commander Harken settled into his chair, outwardly calm, inwardly reviewing every detail of his preparations, trying to figure out what (if anything) their bogey was up to, and if it was the assassin whether he would dare attack _Dortmunder_ directly or try some stratagem to gain access to the ship for a physical attack on Madame Li.

They didn't have long to wait. Twenty minutes later the Communications Officer reported they were being hailed.

"Who is it?" Harken asked, tensing.

"He won't give his name, sir. Asked to speak to you personally."

_Bold hundan_. Commander Harken thought. _Or insane_.

"Put him through."

"Good evening, Commander Harken." A young black man faced him in the video screen. "I am a Parliamentary operative come to pick up Madame Li for transport back to Sihnon."

"Ah, good evening, sir. So you're our mystery ship." Commander Harken said cheerfully. "You'll understand if I don't take your word for it, I'm sure. Please transmit your IFF codes, your Parliament authorization codes, and your own ID codes. Also activate your running lights so we can locate you."

"Of course, Captain. Turning on running lights and transmitting codes."

"Receiving codes now, sir." The communications officer confirmed.

"We've located the ship sir, approximately ten kilometers behind us and lying abeam." Telemetry said quietly. "Also located using OPO. We won't lose him again."

"Very good." Harken murmured. Walking over to the communications officer Commander Harken verified the codes. The IFF checked out, as did the operative's ID code. He really was a genuine Operative of the Parliament. But the Parliamentary authorization codes were out of date, and marked rescinded. Commander Harken wondered how Madame Li had managed that little trick. But it gave him the leverage he needed.

"I'm sorry sir, but it appears your authorization codes have been rescinded." Commander Harken said to the operative regretfully. Why don't you land and we'll sort this out? Your ID and IFF are both valid, so I'm sure it's just some bureaucratic mix-up somewhere. Shouldn't take more than a couple of days to straighten out."

"I'm sorry, Commander but I've been instructed Madame Li's presence is required on Sihnon as soon as possible. It is critical we arrive no later than tomorrow morning."

"That's unfortunate. But without Parliamentary authorization I can't let Madame Li board your vessel."

"It seems we have an impasse then, Commander." The Operative said regretfully.

"I'm afraid so." Commander Harken replied with equal regret. He was really quite proud of his performance, being regretful was a useful skill in the military.

"I must insist you allow Madame Li to board my ship so we can be on our way. She won't thank you for standing on protocol. The situation is grave."

"Sadly, Operative, no authorization codes, no Madame Li. I am truly sorry."

"So am I, Commander. I was hoping it would not have come to this. We should have settled this like men. Not with fire. Please. Give me Madame Li."

"Not going to happen, assassin. Come and get her--if you dare."

"I truly regret having to do this, Commander." The Operative reached forward and pressed a button on his console to activate the Ace.

On board the _Dortmunder_ everything went black. The ship actually shifted its orientation as unequal stresses suddenly relieved themselves, causing the giant ship to begin to rotate ever so slowly.

"What's happening?" Commander Harken shouted as the emergency lights came up.

"Virus, sir! Life support is still on line, but navigation, telemetry, helm control, weapons, point defenses, internal communications, they're all down. Anti-virus protocols initiated, estimate twenty five minutes for complete system recovery."

"Get those damn point defenses on line _now_. Forget everything else, give me point defense! And get something working in telemetry, we're blind here!"

"Sir, inner bulkhead doors are activating all over the ship, sealing off everything!"

"_Liu koushui de biaozi he houzi de ben erzi_." Harken swore at the Operative. He'd fallen for a stupid _trick_. The operative must have loaded the virus into one of the downloaded ID codes. Harken had thought _Dortmunder's _systems were protected but apparently Parliament Operatives knew about holes nobody else did. He was going to raise hell with Fleet when he got back to Londinium. _Assuming we get back_, he thought grimly.

Meanwhile, hovering above the landing platform twenty ASREVs floated silently. The Flight Commander was sitting in one of the ASREVs waiting for the attack order. They'd already received targeting data from _Dortmunder_ concerning the bogey along with approximate size and mass figures. Odds favored the bogey being a hunter-killer. That worried the Flight Commander but he thought the element of surprise might balance the odds.

Then _Dortmunder _went completely dark. And he knew the attack had begun.

The Operative watched in satisfaction as the _Dortmunder_ went dark. They'd be fighting the Ace for over an hour. The virus was polymorphic and one of the nastiest the Alliance black-ops had ever constructed. It wouldn't touch life support but _Dortmunder _would be completely shut down otherwise. With the internal pressure doors sliding shut only the Operative would have unhindered access to the ship. And the Ace was already searching the ship for Madame Li. All he had to do was dock at the closest airlock to his victim, strike, and withdraw.

The plan was simple, elegant, and had a certain élan the Operative found appealing. This kill would truly be worthy of his training.

It probably would have worked, too, except for Commander Harken's paranoia.

"_Emergency_. Activating combat cage now. Multiple hostiles detected. Bogeys acceleration is 20G, engaging emergency combat protocol, overriding command interface." The ship's computer voice, a beautiful female contralto, broke into the Operative's thoughts.

"What's happening?" He asked as a padded shock frame trapped him. The monitor in front of him lit up with a confusing array of dots and lines he belatedly realized was a combat plot. There were a lot of red dots...

He grunted in surprised pain as the ship suddenly applied full acceleration. The inertia damping system tried to compensate but the best it could absorb was 10G's and the ship was capable of 15Gs in a straight line.

Suddenly each dot on the monitor sprouted a couple of dashed lines, which corkscrewed crazily but with alarming rapidity toward the icon that represented his ship.

"Multiple missile launches confirmed. Impact in 4 seconds, point defense active, emergency evasion active. Hold on!" The Operative thought that last warning was a nice touch, just before his world turned into a whirling, slamming maelstrom of painful impacts. The shock cage kept the insane maneuvers from breaking bones or snapping his neck but did nothing to keep his 80 kilos of mass from repeatedly smashing into the padding as the ship desperately spun and pirouetted for its life.

"Gorram whirling dervish!" One ASREV pilot called. "Missiles wild, missiles wild!"

The Flight Commander grimaced. _Missile wild_ meant the missile had lost its lock. That was the fifth pair that had done so. The hunter-killer was accelerating like a bat out of hell, rocking and spinning to keep the hot engine exhaust out of the missile's sight as much as possible, and using its laser and particle beams like scythes, picking off the missiles faster than his fighters could launch them. Two of his fighters were already out of missiles and trying to use their auto-cannons to knock out the hunter-killer's point defenses. But the pilot of the HK was one of the best the Flight Commander had ever seen, he jinked and spun the ship so wildly the cannon shells either missed the inky black ship entirely or bounced harmlessly off her armored hull. ASREVs were never designed to fight a ship like this one and pretty soon he was going to start losing fighters instead of just missiles.

"Keep the pressure on you _houzi!_" He called. "You let that HK think for one second and he's gonna cream us!"

The fight careened across the sky, the hunter-killer desperately driving for deep space, the ASREVs harrying her like wolves after an elk. The fight had been going on for almost five minutes now.

"Missiles out! Switching to cannon!" Yet another pilot reported. The Flight Commander swore viciously. His own missiles were still in the racks, he was holding them in reserve.

"Got the bastard!" A pilot reported triumphantly as a single missile managed to break through the seemingly perfect point defense. There was a flash of light and part of the hull of the HK broke and bent as the shaped charge chewed through her incredibly tough armor. The HK shuddered from the impact and for just a moment stopped its crazy evasive pattern.

Without thinking he armed his entire payload of missiles and ripple launched them in a single salvo. It was against regulations but he was playing a wild hunch. Sixteen missiles spread out like the arms of an octopus and bore into the hunter-killer from all sides.

The HK went berserk, using beam weapons as scythes, launching flares, missile decoys and a pair of her own missiles, large ship killers that headed back toward the _Dortmunder_ at just under 20Gs.

"Gorram it! _Kill those ship missiles. NOW!_" He screamed. Six ASREVs peeled off from the fight and closed in on the ship killers. Two that still had missiles launched against the enemy missiles. Since the ASREV missiles were designed for small ship combat they were almost all engine. Accelerating at 50Gs, they caught and destroyed the ship killers well before they threatened the _Dortmunder_.

"Low fuel, gotta abort." A pilot called out.

"Strike, strike! Three missiles home!" Another pilot called out. "Target is showing damage, she's visible now. Target lock confirmed. Way to go Flight Lead!"

Just when it seemed the ASREVs had the upper hand low fuel warnings rippled through the pack.

_Gorram it, we were so close_, the Flight Commander thought to himself. "All ASREVs, return to base. I say again, abort attack and return to base."

Remarkably he hadn't lost a single fighter. Against this particular hunter-killer he counted it a miracle.

A little over twelve minutes had elapsed since the ASREVs launched.

The hunter-killer was still accelerating, although she was at 8G now, having lost one of her engines and half her fuel reserves. The Operative was unconscious from the beating he'd received as the ship had frantically danced across the sky to keep him alive. The inertial dampers were state of the art but could only absorb a portion of the bruising, wildly varying accelerations the ship had been forced to use.

_Dortmunder _was still dark, but her landing platform, which had housed four good size ships when the ASREVs launched, was now empty as the ASREVs came in to land. To all appearances the _Dortmunder_ was derelict and dead, but the pilots knew if they were patient _Dortmunder_ would reawaken.

The Flight Commander stretched in the cramped cockpit and tried to get comfortable as he waited.


	14. Ch 14 Sometimes You’re The Rabbit

Mal swore but scrambled from his seat. "Hope you can still run, old woman, 'cause we've got maybe two minutes to reach my ship and get off this flying death trap afore she goes up like a fireworks display."

"You heard the man." Zoe snapped. "Everybody out, _now_." The gravity was still at three quarters normal, which made running far easier. Madame Li managed a fair turn of speed. Mal grabbed the startled Ensign and half dragged him along as he told him to shake the lead out and get him back to his ship.

The Ensign may have been wet behind the ears but he responded to Mal's command voice and raced ahead of them, leading the way back to the airlock. When they arrived the Ensign saluted and stood by the airlock controls.

"You coming boy?" Mal yelled at him from inside _Serenity_.

"No sir! I've got to return to my post. Good luck!" Mal shook his head but slammed the airlock door. Wash was already racing for the bridge by the time the rest of the crew made it to the dining room and started strapping themselves down for a rough launch. Kaylee dove for the engine room.

Mal found the younger woman running beside him as they raced for the bridge.

"Where the hell you think you're goin'?" He panted. "No civilians on my bridge!"

"I can spoof Constance traffic records!" Ying-Tai yelled back. "I don't want that assassin following us!"

Mal made a split second decision and let her come with him. He piled into the co-pilot's seat as the pretty young woman started working controls while standing behind them.

"What's she doing?" Wash asked as he frantically powered up _Serenity_.

"Spoofing traffic control." Mal said. "I do hope."

The woman turned to the radio and spoke. "All ships launch _now_. Launch, launch, launch!" Then she turned to Wash.

"How soon till you get this _fangzong fengkuang de jie_ in the air?" The woman demanded.

"Working on it." He said in a distracted voice. The platform seemed to fall away from them.

"Where to boss?" He demanded. "Persephone." Mal said. "Don't spare the horses. Maximum burn.

"_Dortmunder _isn't going to be happy." Wash grinned and made the final corrections. _Serenity's_ 'abdomen' opened like a flower and the bright flare of her main engine cutting loose nearly scorched _Dortmunder's _landing platform. _Serenity _was the last ship off the cruiser; two of the others headed planet side while the third disappeared into deep space.

_Serenity _boosted herself at her maximum acceleration of 5Gs as she headed for Persephone which was currently 10 AU away. If she could have boosted the entire way, turning over to decelerate half way there she could have made it in a little over 4 days.

But she was a freighter, not intended for such long range travel at full acceleration. So instead her trip was going to take nearly three weeks, much of that time spent with engines down, coasting through space. It also made her much harder to spot, a virtue not lost on either Mal or Madame Li.

On board the Operative's ship he finally woke, groaning. Every muscle in his body was screaming from the torture the ship had put him through. The cursed combat frame had thankfully been retracted.

"Ship, status report--Ouch."

"I have sustained a great deal of damage. Observe the monitor." The ship's voice said calmly.

There was far too much red for the Operative's peace of mind. It looked like the main laser cannon was simply gone; an exterior camera showed a gaping hole where the laser should have been. One particle cannon was out of commission, the other was listed as "marginal". The EMP projectors were undamaged but the power feed had been severed by one of the missile warheads, so they were inoperative. One engine was dead, half their fuel was gone. The stealth sheathing was chewed to confetti on most of the hull, removing her stealth abilities completely. The four areas on the hull where the missiles had struck were a mangled mess, great for radar reflection, not so good if you wanted concealment.

Maximum acceleration was down to 8Gs, although the computer recommended no more than 5Gs to conserve fuel and minimize strain on the remaining engine.

In the good news column life support was undamaged, the AI was online and fully functional, he still had 34 of the 36 missiles and the target acquisition system wasn't damaged.

"What happened to two of the missiles?" He asked, curiously. The bow of the ship had avoided most of the damage. It even had most of its sheathing left.

"Two missiles were fired in a diversionary attack on the _Dortmunder_." The ship replied calmly.

_"What?"_ The Operative squawked. "What is the status of the _Dortmunder _now? Did you destroy her?"

"Negative, _Dortmunder _remained undamaged because the diversion worked. Six ASREVs pursued and destroyed the missiles, relieving enough pressure for me to survive, albeit heavily damaged."

The Operative breathed a sigh of relief. Had the _Dortmunder _been destroyed the Parliament would not have rested until they uncovered the reason--and brought down the Steady Hand in the process.

"What is our current destination and ETA?" He asked the computer.

"We are headed for Kerry, ETA approximately 7 days 14 hours. I will be able to obtain repairs there; they have black-ops facilities for modification of hunter-killer ships such as myself.

"What happened to us?"

"We were attacked by twenty ASREV fighters that accelerated from behind _Dortmunder. _Analysis indicates that as soon as the Ace disabled _Dortmunder_ the ASREVs began their attack. This would seem to indicate they were already in space since _Dortmunder_ could not have launched fighters in her disabled state."

"And that means they knew we were coming." The Operative growled.

"Your analysis is highly probable." The ship agreed. "To continue my report. The ASREVs were carrying full loads of Asp short-range missiles. I deflected or destroyed over three hundred missiles during the attack. Unfortunately four missiles penetrated my point defenses causing the majority of the damage. The stealth sheathing was primarily destroyed by auto-cannon fire, which was otherwise ineffective against my armor."

"Unfortunately the attacker's missile swarms were so persistent I was unable to inflict any casualties among the ASREVs themselves. If I had attempted to do so I would not have survived. Length of engagement was 12 minutes 26 seconds."

"And Madame Li?" The Operative asked without much hope.

"Unknown. Probability is high she escaped while the ASREVs engaged me."

"Unfortunate." The Operative muttered. He had failed in his mission. Although it was probable Madame Li would be forced underground long enough that it wouldn't matter. Dead or missing, the result would be the same. He became a little more cheerful.

"What is the current transit time between Kerry and Sihnon?" He asked.

"Approximately 27 days by normal transport." The computer replied.

The Operative considered that. He was going to be out of the game completely for a week, and severely restricted for another four. By that time Madame Li would have gone to ground, completely untraceable. Still, it meant she would not likely be in effective control of her faction, so his employer should be satisfied.


	15. Ch 15 Business As Usual

Onboard _Dortmunder_ things had finally settled down as the last traces of the virus were hunted down and exterminated. The ship was returning to the Iskellian shipyards orbiting Ares for a complete audit of her computer systems. Other than the virus no actual damage had been done, although the bogey had fired two ship-killer missiles toward the helpless cruiser, apparently in an effort to discourage pursuit as it escaped.

Commander Harken had raised merry hell with Fleet HQ for the attack, and there was a formal investigation under way, but he doubted anything would come of it. Operatives had carte blanche and any actions that hadn't actually damaged the cruiser would most likely be swept under the carpet.

Madame Li was gone, along with the _Hippasus, _and Harken couldn't say he was sorry. The Blue Sun Chairman had brought trouble to his world, trouble he didn't need and hadn't wanted. Still, he thought he could wrangle some upgrades from a guilty Fleet HQ, so it hadn't been an unmitigated disaster.

His flight commander was well pleased with the results of the Dry Gulch protocol, and the fact he hadn't lost any pilots placated him about what was basically a traitorous attack by their own government.

On board _Serenity_,half a system away, life had settled into an uneasy routine. Madame Li had Ying-Tai deliver their meals to their quarters so they seldom saw either woman. Jayne had taken to cleaning himself up more often, and made a point to be in the dining room when it was time for the young woman to appear.

Ying-Tai steadfastly ignored the mercenary, much to his chagrin. He'd even gone to Inara for advice. Her advice to him? Give up, the lady clearly wasn't interested. Jayne being, well _Jayne_, decided to ignore her advice.

Malcolm had already concealed the platinum long before the pair had come on board. On the long trip to Persephone he really had very little to do, since he didn't have to engage in job hunting or worry about who might be after their passengers.

He knew _exactly_ who was after their passengers and if he thought about it too long it drove him to pacing. So he didn't think about it very much.

The rest of the crew decided the best thing to do was ignore their enigmatic guests and fell back into their typical deep space routines. Kaylee tending to _Serenity, _Simon to his sister, and Zoe keeping a wary eye on everything. Wash was the happiest, sitting for long hours in the cockpit watching the stars and keeping an eye out for ships vectoring toward them.

River had taken to brooding, which worried Simon no end. When he asked his sister what was wrong she'd start talking about the ghosts around Madame Li. Since she didn't seem to be losing control he let her be, but discreetly kept sharp objects out of her way.

Book and Inara took to having long meandering philosophical discussions and continued solidifying their growing friendship. Since Book's quarters were near their passengers he began spending more time in Inara's shuttle so they could discuss their encounters on _Enterprise_ without fear of being overheard by either Ying-Tai or Madame Li. If it had been anyone other than Book the rest of the crew would have teased them unmercifully.

And so life proceeded peacefully if somewhat awkwardly for the crew and passengers on the freighter. Until they arrived at Persephone that is...

"I forbid it, Captain Reynolds." Madame Li repeated.

"First off, in spite of chartering my ship--not entirely with my consent, mind--you ain't in charge, _I _am. Second of all, that panic boost from _Dortmunder _put us short of fuel. If we don't land on Persephone we won't be landing anywhere, _dong ma?_ On account of we don't got enough fuel to get nowhere else. We need to load up on supplies too. Least ways, if you wanna keep eatin' till we make planetfall again."

"Not to mention staying in space for two months is gonna drive the crew batty lest we stock up on pastimes. Three weeks on this boat and my eyes are turning circles in my head. Humans ain't meant to live in a tin can for months on end. We need at least a few hours dirt-side to knock loose the brain bugs as been festering all trip."

"Also, it was my impression you wanted to _hide_." He glared at the elderly Chinese woman. "Or was that moon-mist getting in my eyes?"

"You know very well we are being chased by an operative, Captain." Madame Li responded icily. "Of course I want to hide. Wouldn't you?"

"Then you're doing a _niao lese _job of it." Mal informed her disgustedly.

"What?" She asked in surprise.

"You wanna hide, you gotta blend in. How do you think we kept River safe from you all that time, huh?" Mal asked her. "It weren't by skulking about. We didn't hang a sign on her saying 'wanted dead or alive'. But we sure didn't sneak around, neither. We went about our business like we didn't have two wanted fugitives on board."

Madame Li hesitated. "What are you suggesting, Captain?"

"I'm _suggestin'_ you remember you ain't in your high society political circles no more." Mal said. "Right now you're going to Eavesdown docks and them's _my _circles, ma'am. It ain't a fancy place, it's poor and raggedy and none too clean. Some folks would shoot you just for that fine pair of slippers you're wearing. But for those what know it, it's safe as houses. The Alliance walks lightly there when it bothers to come at all. You ask your bodyguard if I ain't right."

"Bodyguard?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Ying-Tai. Give me some credit for seein' what she is. At any rate we got about six hours afore we land. I'm thinking between Kaylee, Inara, and Ying-Tai they could change your appearance, make you blend in. You don't trust me, you ask them."

"I'll--consider your advice, Captain." She said slowly. He nodded and turned to go.

"And Captain?"

She was smiling slightly when he looked back.

"Thank you for your efforts. I appreciate them."

"Yeah, well, part of the job." He left without saying anything more. She turned back into her cabin with a thoughtful expression.

The next time he saw her was at the airlock as they prepared to disembark. If it hadn't been for fact she was the only old woman on board he wouldn't have recognized her. She was wearing an old tunic and trousers, with patches to cover the holes worn through the material. Her hair was loose and unkempt; her face bore a look of amiable confusion.

"Now that's what I was talkin' about." Mal said, nodding in approval.

"I'm sorry sir; my aunt is old and hard of hearing." Ying-Tai said in a deferential tone. Mal grinned.

"You'll do fine, just stick with Kaylee and Jayne and you won't see no trouble, _dong ma?_"

"_Shi, shi._" Madame Li mumbled in a low scratchy voice. "_Bianda ta de bei jiu gou le, Ying-Tai_."

Mal snickered, earning a cool look from the young bodyguard.

"All right, we got lots to do and not much time to do it. Best get a wiggle on. You two have fun, stick with Kaylee, and for all our sakes, do _not _act all high and mighty. Won't get you nothing but pain round here, _dong ma?_"

"I heard you the first time, Captain. I'm not really deaf you know." Madame Li said with a sigh.

Inara had to hide a smile. She'd come down to see if Madame Li could pull off the senile old woman look, but she had to meet a client. She had just enough time before _Serenity_ launched. She turned and headed for her shuttle.

Wash took the mule and went to buy supplies. Madame Li had told him to make sure to spend a little on _spices_, for the love of Buddha. She wasn't used to the bland food the rest of the crew subsisted on.

Truth to tell, after the last couple of months _Serenity's_ crew wasn't used to it either.

The plan was for _Serenity _to spend the next month in transit between Persephone and Beaumonde, stop only long enough to refuel and then head back to Persephone. Mal had persuaded Madame Li it would look unnatural for _Serenity_ to leave without at least trying to find a cargo. She was nervous that anyone would know where _Serenity _was going, but Mal assured the woman their cargo wasn't _supposed _to be going to Beaumonde. She'd muttered about smuggler's tricks and he'd just nodded and said "Yep".

Zoe and Mal headed to the den of all things shady to look up its diminutive headman, Badger. The cocky little _hundan_ didn't like Mal much better than Mal liked him, but business was business. Aside from that food concentrate salvage, of course...

"Here to see Badger." Mal told the tall muscular man with the shotgun. "Looking for a bit of work."

Two other goons were lounging about the entry. Why Badger preferred his den of thieves to look like a desert nomad's tent Mal had no idea. Shotgun nodded and went through the tent flap. Mal traded flat looks with the other two goons till the first goon returned and motioned them to follow.

"Evenin', Badger." Mal said evenly.

"Malcolm Reynolds. What black omen brings you to darken my humble abode?" The cockney accent was thick enough to cut.

"Now is that any way to talk to a man lookin' to do business?" Mal protested lightly. "Headin' out to Beaumonde, thought you might have somethin' needin' a ride."

"Not a bleedin' thing, old sod." Badger grinned, obviously pleased not to be able to help.

"Not like you, lettin' a grudge get in the way of money." Mal said reasonably. "Could it be you came into some major spondulix, eh?"

"What you on about, Sergeant?" Badger said, scratching an ear. "What's spondulix?"

"That's _captain_, Badger, thank you very much. And spondulix is money: coin, platinum, credits--filthy lucre. You maybe heard of it?"

"No big score, more's the pity. Every man wants a bigger pot to piss in. But I got nothin' you'd touch, and nothin' goin' to Beaumonde my barmy rat man. Course, were you someone else, I got people needin' to get to Lilac."

Mal frowned. "Lilac's only ten hours or so from Beaumonde, Badger. These people, they willin' to go to Lilac?"

Badger snorted. "You may be barmy, Reynolds but I ain't. I even hint about runnin' slaves and you'd make a scene, you would. Get _messy_ in my place o' business. Can't be havin' with that, now can I?"

"Man's got a point, sir." Zoe said. "You're known to have strong opinions on the subject."

"True 'nough." Mal admitted. "So if they ain't slaves, why would I be turnin' down your coin, Badger?"

Badger grinned. "You can be a bit--unpredictable. I'm branchin' out into a new line of business. I calls it _Brothel in a Can_. See, I get a bunch o' whores and a madam, the makin's o' a snore's louse, and ship the whole kit off to some needy burg on a backwater world what is short of the turtle-doves o' Hades, and get a percentage o' the take. It's like a franchise."

"You're not serious." Mal said astounded not by Badger's idea, but by the fact in some sick twisted way it made perfect sense. Mal never mentally put _Badger_ and _sense_ on the same planet at the same time. Took some getting used to.

"There's only six o' them, Mal." Badger said, warming up his sales pitch. "Slender little things, they won't take up a starling's berth, and how much could they eat?"

"Lilac's a month off, Badger." Mal said. "Even the slenderest of waifs eats a lot in a month. You want me to take six of 'em?" _River eats near as much as Jayne for instance, _he thought ruefully.

"Well, yeah." Badger said. "See, five girls workin' makes enough profit to make the thing work. Can't do it with less."

"I cannot believe I'm havin' this conversation." Mal said, thinking of what Madame Li would say if he brought half a dozen prostitutes on board. The mental image of her outrage was luring him into temptation, in spite of himself.

Sensing Mal weakening, Badger closed in eagerly. "Besides, you should be fine with the idea; you've had a whore on board for what, nearly two years now?"

Zoe winced as Mal's face turned stony.

"Badger, old _friend_, you might want to rephrase that last sentence. Because I know, as sure as Earth-that-was is no more, I did not hear you correctly. I got no whores on my boat. Inara Serra is a Companion in good standing with the Guild."

"Meanin' no disrespect to the lady, Captain Reynolds." Badger backtracked hastily, being no fool. "What I meant was ladies who negotiate their affections ain't always members of the Guild. They gotta make their way through the world too. I'm just greasing the skids, so to speak."

_ Inara._ Mal thought, sobering. _She's been not so prickly of late. Question is, do I wanna annoy that overbearing _pofu_ from Blue Sun enough to put up with Inara's high horse?_

"God's honest truth, me old blend, I got nothin' else." Badger said regretfully. "Kit and kittens are ready to fly, just waitin' on a ship I can trust. You may be touchy about certain subjects, but I know you won't steal the rampage."

_Badger being all regretful? I been in the army, you old faker,_ Mal thought. _I know crocodile tears when I sees 'em._

"I'm ponderin' Badger. How much?"

"Five hundred." Badger said instantly. Mal barked a short laugh.

"Yeah right. Five hundred _each_ maybe."

"Be reasonable! Three Mays nay! I'll never recoup my losses! A hundred each."

"I am being reasonable. Two thousand for the lot. That includes the snoring louse." Mal paused. "Did I just say that? You gotta cut down on that rhyming slang, it's contagious."

Badger grinned at him. "What? The Cant started back on Earth-That-Was, it's a sacred tradition on Dyton."

"But you ain't on Dyton no more. Two thousand. And I'm bein' generous 'cause you talk funny."

"You wound me, Ball Come." Badger laughed. "Eight hundred 'cause it's bad luck to be chintzy startin' a new business venture."

"Then you can make it fifteen and we'll both go away with a deal." Mal said. "Long way to Lilac, Badger. I got a ship to feed and care for, crew to pay. Not cheap. Call it a good omen to start your new business on."

"Twelve, me old sod. For old time's sake." Badger said. "That's a fair payment for passage and haulage, right? Bit above the going rate, what do you say?"

"Well--you'd better be straight with me about them bein' willin'. I find out otherwise, you and me will be having--words. There might possibly be shoutin'. _Dong ma?_"

"They ain't slaves, Mal. You'll have all month to make sure. You think I'd pay all that money just to have you queer the deal? Lilac's a long way off. But I trust you, cause you always do the job."

"And then I get _paid_, Badger. Be good if you remember that this time."

"You _still _got your back up over that salvage? You're the one that let the law ID you. I couldn't take the risk, you know that."

"Just the same, you pay me now for haulin' your _brothel in a can_, Badger. You know I always hold up my end."

Badger grumbled but in the end paid up. It was a hefty sum, better than nearly any legal job _Serenity_ had done and in the top ten of the illegal ones. Mal put the pleasantly heavy bag in his coat.

"You said they're ready to go?" Mal asked. "I'll be wantin' to launch 'round midnight. They ain't there we're both gonna be unhappy."

"No problem!" Badger said happily. "I'll make sure the lovely ladies are there, with a dime to care."

"Good doin' business with ya, Badger." Mal said as he and Zoe left.

"They're going to kill you, sir." Zoe said conversationally. Mal automatically glanced around in case she was being literal.

"Who?"

"Well Inara for one. What were you _thinking?_" Zoe was laughing. "And Ying-Tai's aunt is going to skin you alive."

"Yeah." Mal smirked. "Just couldn't stop thinkin' about the look on her face when she finds out."

"You are a bad man." Zoe declared solemnly.

Mal nodded.

"Wicked, even."

Mal nodded again, grinning from ear to ear as he started laughing. Zoe joined in as the two of them made their way to the port authority so they could steal Mal's money. At least that's how he always phrased it. Other less cynical folk might have used the words "pay docking fees" or "pay port taxes".


	16. Ch 16 The Blackest Of Lies

Badger made good on his pledge, the cargo and passengers arrived a half-hour before midnight. There was more cargo than Mal had expected, it filled nearly a quarter of Serenity's hold, stacked up nearly ten feet. Mal was busy with last minute preparations and was on the bridge when _Serenity _lifted for space.

Everything was going smoothly and Wash, having finished the burn for Beaumonde, had just shut down the engine when the first indication of trouble came storming onto the bridge.

"_Captain Reynolds_," A low angry voice growled. "A moment of your time if you please." Mal grinned. Even without looking he could tell Madame Li was _not _happy. He made sure to put on an innocent face before turning to confront his irate passenger.

"Yes ma'am, what can I do for you?"

"You know perfectly well my charter forbade passengers." Madame Li said in a biting tone. "And yet I find we now have six new passengers going all the way to _Lilac._ And not just any passengers, mind you, _prostitutes_. Do you have to go out of your way to be an offensive oaf or is it a natural gift?"

"Oh it's easy for him." Wash chimed in helpfully. "He practices twice a week, and all day on Sundays."

"You wanna be Jayne's sparring partner for the rest o' the trip, Wash?" Mal asked mildly without looking at his pilot.

"Nope, I'm good." Wash chuckled. "See? Flying the ship and _not _talking anymore."

"I did tell you we needed a cargo." Mal said to the fuming old woman.

"Cargo I could live with, but you brought those women on board! They aren't _cargo_, now are they Captain?"

"Actually, they sorta are." Mal responded mildly. "See, them and the cargo are all going to Lilac, 'cause it's their cargo."

"What?" Madam Li asked, obviously taken aback.

"I believe Badger called it _Brothel In A Can._" Mal said with a straight face. "Sort of a prefab whorehouse, complete with whores. All they need on Lilac is a building. He was very enthusiastic." Mal brightened.

"Hey, he's always looking for investors! Maybe you could--"

"_Auuggggg_." She snarled without words but plenty of teeth gritting. The pure venom in her look made Mal think perhaps he'd gone a bit too far, but she spun on her heel and stalked off the bridge.

"That was pure unadulterated _gao gan_, Mal." Wash gasped, wheezing with suppressed laughter. "You're a bad man, you know that?"

"Just collectin' a bit o' interest." Mal protested. "She might can force me to charter my boat to her, but ain't nothin' says I gotta make sure she _enjoys_ it."

"Remind me not to tick you off." Wash said with a chuckle. Mal was grinning when the second indication it was going to be a long trip showed up.

"Hello Mal." Inara said with a tiny little smile. He'd known her long enough to grow instantly wary. "I assume our new passengers are your way of getting back at Ying-Tai's aunt?"

"Well, yeah. Plus it was the only cargo Badger had headin' Beaumonde way." Mal found himself on the defensive--not uncommon when he dealt with Inara. "And we needed cargo. Woulda looked strange, us just coming in to refuel then lightin' out again. Mighta fallen in the wrong ear."

"Ah, I see. So how long are they going to be with us?" She asked sweetly.

"Till Lilac." He said cheerfully.

"Really?" Inara said in mock surprise. "Lots of opportunities for interaction with the crew then."

"Pardon?" Mal asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, picture it. Six young ladies--and then there's Jayne. And it's not like they'd ignore him the way Ying-Tai did..." Her smile made Mal a little nervous.

"Well this _is _Jayne we're talkin' about." Mal said reasonably. "Ain't like he'd do something stup--oh. Surely not?"

"I trust you'll have a little talk with him then?" Inara said. "You'd be _amazed _at what clients let slip in pillow talk--smart, wary clients who are used to keeping secrets."

"And Jayne ain't none of those." Mal said wearily. "Did not think of that."

"You might want to start." Inara said seriously. She leaned in and whispered in Mal's ear. "But it was a _hilarious_ prank."

She smiled and left the bridge.

"You know somethin'?" Mal said reflectively. "Just when I think I got that woman figured out, she goes and does something that proves I ain't got a clue."

"Woman thy name is Enigma." Wash said wisely. "I gave up trying to figure Zoe out a long time ago."

"Smart man." Mal nodded and started to rise, so he could try to keep Jayne out of trouble, when Zoe showed up.

"Speak o' the devil." Mal said. Having known her for years he could tell she had bad news. From her face it was fairly serious bad news too.

"Let me guess. Our charter is screaming insults at our new passengers and threatenin' to rain thunderbolts down on 'em?"

"I wish." Zoe said. "It's bad. Very, very, very bad."

"Hon, when you say 'bad' are we talking, you know, Reaver bad or just losing our air supply bad?" Wash broke in.

"Badger skunked us." Zoe said in a level tone. Mal winced. He would not want to be Badger when she got back to Persephone. That level monotone had preceded murder and mayhem on more than one occasion. Zoe seldom got _intense_ but when she did...

"He lied to us? Those girls sex slaves?" Mal asked mildly. No one who knew him well would mistake that tone for calmness.

Zoe hesitated, which made Mal blink. From the way she was acting he was sure Badger had crossed that un-crossable line.

"Worse." She finally said.

"Worse? How could it be _worse_?" Wash asked, baffled and uneasy. He knew the danger signs too.

"One of the girls is fifteen." Zoe said flatly.

"Ah." Mal said. "She tell you this?"

"No, River did." Zoe said. "But you don't have to be a mind reader; all you gotta do is look close."

"How'd we miss that?" Mal wondered.

"It was dark and we were in a hurry to launch." Zoe said. "I made sure they weren't packing, but beyond that all I looked to see was if they were all female. Sorry, sir."

"You weren't to know, Zoe." Mal said soothingly. "Gorram that Badger, I may just shoot his _pigu_ the next time I see that fancy hat."

"So she _isn't_ a slave then?" Wash asked, wanting to make sure.

"No." Mal said disgusted. "She's a kid. Ain't no way she should agree to bein' a whore at her age. Badger didn't _lie_ to us; he just left out the part where he's pimping kids. What about the rest, Zoe?"

"All of 'em young, even the madam's probably mid-twenties at most." Zoe said. "If I had to guess I'd say the rest are all around eighteen--but it wouldn't surprise me none if we're gonna have a birthday party or two before Lilac."

"Never goes smooth. How come it never goes smooth?" Mal wondered aloud. "This is that karma thing, ain't it? I try pulling a practical joke on that _pofu_ and the 'verse pulls one on me instead."

"Could be, sir." Zoe said diplomatically. "What should we do?"

"I ain't got the faintest idea." Mal said. "My brain's all fuzzy 'cause I ain't slept in almost twenty hours. I'm going to bed. I'll try to figure it out tomorrow. Meantime, make sure our guests don't' try and kill each other."

"Yes, sir." Zoe said, settling into the co-pilot's chair as Mal started down the companionway toward his quarters when he paused, debating with himself. Shrugging he changed direction and headed for Inara's shuttle.

The hatch was closed, meaning Inara was either asleep or wanted privacy. He knocked; something he seldom did. There was no response so he was about to leave when the hatch opened.

"Yes?" Inara asked when she saw who it was.

"Sorry to bother you, Inara but we got big trouble and I need to talk to somebody as might be able to see a way clear."

"What's going on?"

"Not here. Come to my cabin." He saw the look on her face. "No funny business. Grim work, you got my word."

"You're serious." She said watching him. He nodded.

"Let me get my robe." As she turned to go he noticed she was wearing a rather fetching nightgown.

_I must be really worried to miss that_, he thought tiredly. The two of them moved through a deserted ship. Mal opened his ladder and gestured for her to precede him.

"Ladies first." He said. "Don't want you to think I'd be peekin'."

"Very gallant." She said, smiling. Her smile faded when she saw how tired and worn he looked. In a softer tone she said "Thank you." She descended the ladder gracefully. Mal was tired enough he had to concentrate to avoid slipping.

"You believe in karma?" He motioned her to the chair and sat on the edge of the unmade bed. Sitting carefully she cocked her head.

"Karma? Well, yes. It's the universe's way of balancing things."

"Well, it bit me today. Hard. And we got us a real problem."

"Something to do with our latest passengers?" Inara guessed. Mal nodded.

"You met any of 'em yet?"

"Just the madam." Inara said. "And only for a moment."

"One of them is 15 years old." Mal said.

"Oh no, _Buddha_, _lao tian, bu_" Inara closed her eyes. "Who was it?" She asked fiercely. "Who made her do it?"

"Don't know if anybody _made_ her, Inara." Mal said rubbing his eyes. "Probably bad luck. You know how it is out here. Not everybody's got enough food to fill their family's bellies. Sometimes a family with too many mouths has gotta choose who they push out o' the nest. Either that or let everybody starve."

"That's cruel." Inara said, distraught.

"Yeah. The 'verse ain't always kind to those most in need." Mal's voice was somber. "Don't mean to add to your burden, but I'm lost. Thought maybe you'd have heard something, maybe the Guild has rules 'bout stuff like this."

"No. At least I've never heard of any." Inara bowed her head. "We have so much now. There's the platinum, and my business, and you have the charter." She said. "If she turned whore so her family could _eat,_ then she has nothing. It makes a mockery of everything I was taught, everything I am."

"Yeah. I'm feelin' all kind o' useless my own self." Mal said. "So gorram tired. Karma can kiss my _pigu_." He fell back on the bed. "She ain't the only one in the 'verse neither. Hundreds like her, on every outer planet. Badger don't care. Probably say the younger ones can work longer." He snorted. "If he even bothered to ask."

"Badger did this?" She asked, feeling sick.

"Not with his own hands. Badger don't work that way. He makes deals, he puts out the word. Lets the details work themselves out."

"So we're looking at the madam then?" Inara asked.

"Maybe. Can't say whether she's dark or not. Maybe she's lookin' for this deal to set her up. Maybe she cut the kid a break by her lights."

"Do you have any of that brandy left?" Inara asked. "I need a drink."

Mal groaned as he forced himself upright. Wordlessly he poured them both a shot of the precious liquor. He noted the bottle was still three quarters full. He was going to miss it when it was gone.

"Careful with this." He said to Inara. "It packs a mean punch."

"Good." Inara said, but took the glass carefully. She knew where the brandy had come from and the Guild instilled respect for even ordinary liquor in its members. She couldn't place the bouquet; it was unlike anything she'd ever smelled. A sip confirmed Mal's warning. It was warm and slightly sweet, with a deep rich bite. A wave of contentment swept over her.

"Oh my. I'd say this is a drug, not just alcohol." She said, feeling the deep stillness settling into her bones."

"Captain Picard told me nobody but the Saurians can drink more than a couple of shots." Mal said, feeling the little taste of brandy hammering at his wakefulness. He'd be damned if he let the brandy go to waste by falling asleep.

"I believe it." Inara said, taking another small sip. The stillness was peaceful; she could feel her stress melting under the brandy's onslaught. And the taste, it was indescribable.

"So aliens made this, aliens who live in another whole universe." She smiled. "I suppose karma's got a _lot_ to balance when you think about it."

"Stuff karma and the horse it rode in on." Mal said crudely. "Karma keeps handing me troubles I got no interest in. And what's the balance, eh?"

"You're a hero." Inara said, shocking herself. She hadn't meant to say that.

"Ain't I just? Question is why should I get all the hard work and none of the reward? Where's the balance in that?" There was no heat in the words, the brandy made him too comfortable to get up a good head of mad.

"Well you saved the 'verse, and got a hold full of platinum for it." Inara pointed out lazily, sipping the last of her shot. "The charter's an enormous amount; by itself it'll keep _Serenity _flying for years on end."

"Guess that's so." He said drowsily. He downed the last of his own drink and stood blinking for a moment. Wordlessly he sat down and then fell over onto his side. She was too tranquil to be concerned, especially when she heard the first faint snore.

"Powerful stuff." She murmured, eyeing the brown bottle with respect. She'd seen Mal drink more than one man under the table. Fighting the pleasant lethargy she forced herself upright and put away the brandy. Then she lifted Mal's feet into the bed, pulled off his boots and covered him with a blanket.

The thought of climbing the ladder made her close her eyes in dismay. On the other hand the bed looked _so _inviting, even with Mal in it. She was so tired and the bed seemed to be calling her.

_Just for a minute, _she thought. _Let the brandy clear away. Then I'll go back to the shuttle. _She removed her robe so it wouldn't wrinkle and put it over the chair. Then carefully she slipped onto the narrow bed, not wanting to wake Mal and give him the wrong idea. She closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply, hoping to clear her head.

She was asleep before she realized what was happening.


	17. Ch 17 One Thing After Another

Inara woke with a start, opening her eyes to find herself cuddling Mal, who had a puzzled look on his face.

"Somethin' I oughta know about?" Mal asked in a mild voice. "Don't get me wrong, 'Nara cause I'm all manner of flattered, but I don't remember much after you tellin' me I was a hero."

Blushing, Inara scooted away, forgetting how narrow the bunk was. She squeaked as she slipped over the edge and hit the deck with a thump, lying in an undignified sprawl, one hand still clutching the edge of the bed. Mal's head appeared, peering down at her with mild concern.

"You ok?"

"Fine." She said quickly. "I'm fine." With more speed than grace she managed to get to her feet. "This isn't what it looks like, Mal. The brandy made my head swim, so I just lay down for a minute to clear my head. I guess I was more tired than I realized."

"And you just took your robe off so's it wouldn't get wrinkled." Mal offered, sitting up.

"Exactly." Inara nodded, turning her back on him to retrieve the garment. She put it on with her back still to Mal. She used the moment to gather her composure.

"I guess Saurian brandy's too strong for me." She said, turning with a smile. "What time is it?"

Mal glanced over at his desk. "Looks like we been asleep about ten hours." Inara winced. That meant she was bound to run into someone on her way back to the shuttle. Well, it couldn't be helped. If she was careful she could duck down the companionway just before the dining room and nobody would notice. From there it was only a short dash to her shuttle...

Mal politely turned away as she climbed the ladder to make her escape. He was just starting to think about how soft she had felt against him when a burst of applause made him jerk around in a full-fledged panic. He could see Inara's feet still on the ladder. After a moment she stepped up into the bridge gangway. He swarmed up the ladder to find the entire crew assembled; even River and Book. Kaylee was beaming and Jayne was smirking. Even Zoe had a relaxation of the lips which Mal knew was equivalent to a big grin for the tall black woman.

Inara was standing by the ladder way outwardly serene. As he stepped out of the ladder she turned to him and said.

"Thank you for the brandy, Captain. I'll check the Guild archives and see if there's anything that can help. Are we still close enough to Persephone for a wave?"

"Wash?" Mal asked his pilot, who's grin was fading.

"Um, I think so." The blonde man said, obviously puzzled.

"I'd better hurry then, before we get out of range." Inara said, and walked away quickly. But there was nothing in her bearing to indicate embarrassment or that she was fleeing.

"So, there some urgent problem I gotta know about?" He asked Zoe. "Our guests still behaving themselves?"

"Yes sir." Zoe's face had reverted to its normal expression of calm indifference. "No more problems."

"Ain't it normal for the crew to gather in the dinin' room?" He asked. "The gangway seems a mite crowded for it."

"The whores are usin' it." Jayne replied with a disgusted look.

"I'd think you'd be in there helpin' yourself to a look-see then." Mal said in mock surprise. "Mayhap some conversatin'. Or did they chase you out?"

"Course not." Jayne snorted. "Since when does whores chase away a man's got money? But they ain't goin' nowhere. I got time to be picky."

"Really?" Mal asked, genuinely surprised. "Well, we still got a problem. Wash, shouldn't you be makin' sure we ain't crashin' into nothin'?"

"On my way, boss." Wash said, headed for the bridge.

"Zoe, you and River come on up to the bridge, we gotta talk. The rest of you--" Mal paused. "Go on congregatin' I guess. Ain't like you got nothin' else to do." He grinned, and followed Wash to the bridge. Zoe and River trailed after him.

"How'd he do that?" Jayne asked, confused. "We caught 'em dead to rights and they just waltzed away and didn't get ribbed nor nothin'."

"Maybe we was wrong?" Kaylee asked. "Sounded like Inara's helpin' the Captain with something legal-like."

"Well, if anything went on they're certainly putting up a brave front." Book said. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Oh come on, preacher." Jayne protested. "Even you gotta be a little tickled they're finally doin' more than dancin' round each other. Gets tiresome."

"They're both adults, Jayne. And it's really none of our business." Book said. "Still, dishes are dishes. Pay up."

"Didn't think Shepherds gambled." Jayne grumbled.

"Not for money. But chores are another matter. Besides, it's only one meal." Book said, smiling.

"Okay. I'll do the whore's dishes from breakfast. Satisfied?" Jayne asked sourly. Book nodded and moved toward the dining area, probably to return to his quarters. Jayne trailed after him, leaving Kaylee and Simon alone.

"You're mighty quiet." She said, smiling. "You think Inara and the Captain finally done the deed?"

"I can't say." Simon said, blushing. He had been thinking how pretty Kaylee was when she smiled. She seemed so sweet and innocent most of the time; it was always a shock when she did something that reminded him how earthy she could be.

"You're _blushin'_." Kaylee accused him, grinning. "And a doctor, too. You seen parts o' me ain't nobody else seen, not even me. Can't believe you can still blush."

"Yes, well, I'm not used to--um," He paused, at a loss for words.

"Simon Tam are you tellin' me you're a _virgin?_" Kaylee broke into a delighted grin.

"That's hardly a question you should ask, Kaylee." He said disapprovingly. She laughed.

"And here I thought you was bein' all proper and gentlemanly 'cause you was just being _nice_." Kaylee said. She thought a moment.

"Let me tell you something, okay? If you ain't had that much experience with girls you may not know what to look for so just let me say I'm interested. More than interested. And not the least bit shy."

She grabbed his ears with both hands and kissed him, hard. Then she winked and glided off down the corridor. Stunned, the doctor just stared after her for several minutes, thinking.

"Ok, now about this kid." Mal said as the three of them joined Wash on the bridge. "I told Inara about her, but the four of us and her are the only ones that know so far. River, you sure she's only fifteen?"

"Yes. And she's scared." River said. "Little Pixie lost in the big bad woods, crying for her mama. She drowns out the ghosts. I couldn't keep her out of my head."

"Ghosts? What ghosts?" Mal asked.

"The ones around auntie Kai-Ying." She said, looking at him like he was crazy. "Why are you in your socks?"

Mal looked down. "Huh."

In the rush he hadn't had a chance to put on his boots. Zoe and Wash were looking at him and he could see the wheels turning.

"What?" He asked, nettled. "Can't a man be in his sock feet in his own cabin?"

"You're on the bridge, sir." Zoe said; a twitch tugging one corner of her mouth.

"You raised such a ruckus I needed to see the ship weren't on fire." He retorted. "Now can we please get back to this Pixie girl?"

"Sorry, sir." Zoe's mouth twitched. Mal glared at her.

"Apparently the Guild don't have no rules to cover this." Mal said, turning serious. "Inara's gonna check their archives, but frankly I ain't real hopeful. I'm bettin' the Guild covers their own and leaves others to fend for their selves. As inconvenient as that might be for us, I can't blame 'em. It's tough enough to take care of your own, much less strangers."

"So what's plan B?" Wash asked.

"Guess I talk to the madam and see the lay o' the land." Mal said. "Try and tell whether she's dark or not."

"And if she is?" Wash asked. Mal frowned.

"That could prove a mite troublesome. This Pixie girl is just another waif. 'Verse is filled with 'em and we can't be a charity for every stray. Truth is we wouldn't even know about her if she hadn't come on board."

"You wouldn't know about me either." River spoke up from the corner she'd slipped into.

"Difference is little bird you and your brother got useful skills. I ain't a monster, but we got no place for her here."

"Trixie isn't dark." River said. "Not light either. Gray lady, lost in fog."

"Trixie and Pixie?" Mal raised his eyebrows. "That really their names little bird or name's you give 'em?"

"Dixie, Nixie, Pixie and Trixie. Jinxie and Minxie." River recited, her eyes closed. "The names she chose. Not their real ones. She was trying to be clever but she's not very good at it. Lilac's her dream, the others are following her."

"Heard all that in your head did you?" Mal said, at a loss. She turned to look at him, pity on her face.

"I may have a hole in my head, but I have _ears_ you know. I can talk to people, and they talk back sometimes. With their _mouths_." Her attention was caught by the lights next to Wash.

"Inara's done." She announced.

"That didn't take long." Zoe said. "Not a hopeful sign."

"Not necessarily, Zoe." Wash said. "_Enterprise_ fixed our squirt decoder. She could have downloaded the entire archive by now."

"We got a squirt decoder? I didn't know that." Mal asked, surprised. Wash rolled his eyes.

"You _did_ look over the ship before you bought her, right?"

"Well, yeah but I was more concerned could she fly than do all that fancy stuff." Mal said defensively. "What's a squirt decoder again?"

Wash looked at him with his mouth hanging open. "You're kidding, right?"

"Wash, I ain't no pilot, and I ain't no mechanic, and I ain't no gorram electronics expert, all right? That's why I hired a crew. Just answer the question."

"Um, okay. Heap big message crunch-um into tiny ball. Squirt-um ball into magic box. Squirt decoder un-crunch ball. Read-um heap big message. See?"

River giggled.

Mal cocked his head. "You know, I think I just been insulted. Zoe, you gonna let your husband get away with talkin' to me like that?"

"Don't insult the Captain, baby. He pouts." Zoe said evenly.

"_Pout? _Now wait a minute. I do not pout. I may sulk. I have been known to glower. On really bad days I maybe even mope. But I never pout." Mal said with dignity.

"My mistake, sir." Zoe said. River giggled again.

"Now that that's established." Mal said, standing up. "I'm gonna talk to the madam, what's her name?"

"Trixie, sir." Zoe said helpfully. "You might want to stop by your cabin first." She looked pointedly at his feet.

"I was plannin' on it." Mal said with wounded dignity. "Woman gives me no credit."

He padded off the bridge. The three remaining crew looked at each other and burst into laughter.


	18. Ch 18 Darkness, Light, and Fog

Mal found the madam in the dining room, she was lounging while her employees gossiped and covertly watched Jayne, who was doing the dishes.

"Mornin'." He nodded to her.

"Good morning. You must be Captain Reynolds." The woman's voice was light, and her manner relaxed. Mal looked over the group.

The madam and three of her girls were Chinese; one girl was a tall willowy red head with striking green eyes while the last was an even taller blonde with well sculpted muscles. Now that he knew to look for her, Pixie stood out. She was rail thin and tiny, Mal bet her ribs would show through her skin. And she was obviously a kid.

"I understand your name's Trixie?" Mal asked politely, getting himself a cup of tea.

"That's right. Badger's told me a lot about you, Captain. I'm wondering if half of it could possibly be true."

Sipping his tea Mal thought for a moment. "Depends. Badger likes a tall tale as much as anybody. He'd think it was a big joke to scare you with stories about big bad Malcolm Reynolds."

"I'm not easily frightened." She smiled but the look she gave him was calculating. _Trying to suss me out, _Mal thought. _Fair enough, I'm doing 'xactly the same_.

"Well, I do need to talk to you 'bout something in private. Come down to the hold for a minute."

"All right." She followed him into the big echoing area. Mal turned around to face her.

"It's about Pixie." He said without preamble.

"Has she done something wrong?" Trixie's brow wrinkled in concern. "I'm sure she didn't mean any harm, she's always very considerate."

"It ain't what she _done_." Mal said. "It's more about what she is."

"_Mo ming qi miao._" Trixie looked bewildered.

"_Pixie xiao jie ying chi. _She's _fifteen years old_." Mal said. "Understand now?"

Trixie's eyes widened.

"_Bu ke neng!_" She objected. "She's eighteen. She told me herself."

"It is so possible, and I know for a fact she's fifteen." Mal said.

"How do you know that? Girls that don't get a lot to eat always look younger than their age." Trixie said. "Especially Chinese girls."

"What do you mean _especially_ Chinese girls?" Mal asked, thrown off his stride.

She waved away his question. "How do you know she's fifteen? Did she tell you? Tell one of your crew?"

Mal opened his mouth to answer and thought better of it. The arrest warrants may have been recalled but Mal didn't want River's telepathy known beyond _Serenity's _hull.

"Somethin' like that." He finally said. "Somebody overheard her."

"Great. Just _great_." She glared at him. "I'm supposed to take your word for it? When she told me different to my face?"

"Well--yeah." Mal said, kicking himself for completely blowing this conversation.

"Captain, I appreciate that you're trying to help--I think. But to make this work I have to have five working girls. Taking Pixie away would probably wreck any chance we have of making it. You do know that, right? Badger told you, didn't he?"

"Way I count it, there are six of you." Mal pointed out. She looked at him in exasperation.

"I'm the _madam_, Captain! I can't be turning tricks."

"Above all that now?" He sniped.

She closed her eyes, obviously struggling to remain calm. "No. Don't you know what a madam does_? Zhen mei nai xing de Fo zu!_"

"I guess she runs the whorehouse." Mal said, trying to see the problem.

"Yes, Captain. That's _exactly_ what she does. It's a full time job. Just like running your ship. Could you be cook, and pilot, and mechanic, and still do your own job?"

"Be a mite difficult." Mal admitted reluctantly.

"A madam has to make sure the girls have clients. She has to make arrangements for the house, hire bartenders and bouncers, pay the bills, keep the books, make sure all the right people get bribed, arrange for the cleaning to be done, make sure the house stays in repair, line up a doctor to make sure the girls stay healthy. And _more_. I can't do all that and turn five or ten tricks a night too! I need Pixie. You better offer me iron-clad proof you're telling the truth or I'm going to ignore you."

"I see where you're comin' from. I really do. But I'm sure of what I'm sayin'." Mal said.

"Why don't we ask Pixie?" The madam said, calming down. "Maybe you'll believe her."

"That's a plan." Mal agreed. "But what's to keep her from lyin' to us? How do I know she ain't afraid of you?" Mal looked her over. "Or not wantin' to let you down?"

About to get angry again she paused. "What are you talking about?"

"There's all manner of reasons for lyin'." Mal said. "Durin' the war we had to be real careful 'cause crazy kids would try and enlist at sixteen, sometimes younger. Some of 'em looked old enough too."

"I don't know what will convince you then." Trixie said irritably. "You won't take her word for it face to face but you believe a chance remark your crewman overheard. _Feng le_."

"I ain't insane. But I ain't about to let no kid be a whore. She turned any tricks yet?"

"No." Trixie said. "Badger found her a few days ago. It's why we're going to Lilac. She's the _xiao jie_, the _di wu ming cheng yuan._"

"Little lady, the fifth member?" Mal asked, bewildered. "_Zhe shi shen me?_"

Trixie rolled her eyes. "_Tradition_, Captain. The traditional five. Five different interests to tempt all men. _Feng Shui, _you see?"

"Not so much." Mal admitted.

"Five girls with different specialties. Different looks, different styles. _Dong ma?_" Trixie asked patiently.

"_Shi_." Mal said. "But that don't change nothin'. She's too young to make that choice."

"Does everyone that meets you want to tear out their hair? _Zhen de shi tian cai!_"

"Usually takes more'n five minutes, but yeah, been told that." Mal said. "You got a way to fix this?"

"I'm not convinced there's a problem." Trixie retorted. "Come on." She started for the stairs.

"Where you goin'?" Mal asked, following her.

"I'm gonna ask Pixie how old she is. Maybe you'll believe it when you hear it from her lips."

"Hang on, you can't just go askin' her in front of everybody." Mal objected, catching her by the shoulder.

_"Don't you dare lay a hand on me!" _Trixie snarled, rounding on him. She knocked his hand away and Mal backed off from the fury in her face.

"Never touch me or my girls unless you have cash in hand and a respectful attitude, you hear me, you _ben houzi?_"

"_Dui bu qi._" Mal said. "Violence was not my intention, nor disrespect. I was just trying to stop you from doin' somethin' _tian di wu yong_."

Slowly the fury drained away. "You have an interesting way of apologizing, Captain. Apology accepted. I have to have a quick temper, keeps the bullies wary."

"So I see." He said with a wry half smile. "I imagine it works."

"Usually." She said. "What do you mean completely useless? Either we ask her or you take my word for it."

"Well, yes." Mal said. "But there's ways of askin' that don't back a body into a corner. You ask her in front o' your other girls, of _course_ she'll say she's eighteen whether she is or she ain't. Gotta be more subtle."

"A smuggler counseling a whore to be subtle." Trixie chuckled. "Now there's one for the ages."

"Way I figure it; we get somebody who ain't a threat talkin' with her and once she's nice and relaxed you come in and ask. I'm thinkin' Kaylee might be a good choice."

"How many of your crew know about this?" Trixie asked.

"Me, Wash, Zoe, and Inara." He said, keeping River out of it.

"That's half your crew." Trixie said, appalled. "And now you want to tell Kaylee too?"

"Well, if she really is eighteen there's no problem, right?" Mal asked reasonably. "We apologize to the two of you, your other ladies don't gotta know if you think it's a problem."

"What about that old woman and her niece?" She asked. "Do they know?"

"No, and they ain't gonna." Mal said firmly. "Mrs. Li already got her nose in a sling 'cause you came on board, she can just simmer in ignorance. Serve the old biddy right."

Trixie smiled. "How did the Companion find out, Captain?" There was veiled venom in her eyes that warned Mal to tread lightly.

"I told her. Thought maybe the Guild had some kinda rules about this sorta thing."

"No, they don't." Trixie said in a flat certain tone. Mal raised an eyebrow.

"You seem awful sure."

"I was Guild until I was seventeen." Trixie said, staring at him. "Couldn't take the _xi_ _niu shi_ rules and the hypocrisy. So I quit."

"Really." Mal didn't know whether to raise or lower his opinion of her now. Inara was living proof the Guild knew its business, but on the other hand it was in his nature to approve of someone kicking over the traces to go their own way.

"Found a decent madam, joined a brothel, and worked my way up to the point she was willing to train me to be a madam."

"How old were you?" Mal asked, morbidly curious. He couldn't stop himself.

"Seventeen." She answered. "Got my _pigu_ tanned for my trouble when I admitted it a few years later, too."

"What happens if it turns out I'm right?" Mal said. Trixie frowned.

"It would wreck everything. _Soh ya fei tian_."

_A cooked duck flies away_, he thought, wincing at the image. It meant a done deal that fate stole away. He hated that.

"I ain't wrong." He said quietly.

"Let's say you're right, just for the sake of argument. You ever thought about what happens to Pixie?" She asked, looking him in the eye. "You gonna take her in and finish raisin' her?"

Mal winced. "Got no place for her here, and besides tain't safe. I got stupid enemies who ain't learned words like _collateral damage _and _innocent bystander_."

"So what then? I can't afford to take her in if she's not working. She ends up stranded on Lilac maybe? Starves to death? Or you willin' to take her back to Persephone? Badger ain't gonna be happy when he learns she screwed up a deal. Likely she'll end up a slave working for some noble's _chun zhu _daughter. Or maybe she'll get _really _lucky and find somebody willing to marry her. Whore the rest of her life for one man instead of different ones."

"Is _that_ the choice you're going to give her? She's not qualified for the Guild. She's a sweet girl, but not terribly bright. She can barely read and write. She doesn't have a sly bone in her body and politics give her a headache."

"At least with me she has a _chance_." Trixie turned away and raced up the stairs. Mal thought he'd heard her voice catch, like she was about to cry.

"Never goes smooth." He said aloud, climbing the stairs slowly, considering. Trixie wasn't clever, River had said. On the other hand she wouldn't have become a madam if she was stupid, and Badger would never have trusted her if he didn't think she could make it. Which meant _Badger_ thought she was tough enough to hold her own. Maybe she was a good enough actress to fool that _hundan_?

At the top of the stairs he paused.

"Hero. Yeah, _right_." He mocked himself.

Female voices being raised in either alarm or anger made him curse and sprint for the dining room. What he found there was a typical Malcolm Reynolds-sized disaster.

Obviously Trixie had confronted the kid. Pixie was kneeling in a _kowtow _saying _Dui bu qi_ over and over again, sobbing.

_I'm sorry_.

Trixie's face was stricken and she sat slumped in her chair. The other ladies wore expressions ranging from shock to anger.

And watching the whole show was Ying-Tai, standing cool and calm amidst the chaos. Zoe arrived and behind him he could hear hurried footsteps.

"What's going on?" Inara asked, peering into the room. "Oh no. She didn't."

"Looks like she did." Mal said quietly. "Inara, I'm gonna have to ask you to keep the rest of the crew out o' here till I can figure this out. Pixie don't need an audience for this."

"Of course." She said quickly.

"Ladies!" Mal said in his command voice, a loud sharp tone that demanded attention. Silence descended as everyone turned to gap at him.

"I'm gonna have to ask all of you 'ceptin' Trixie and Pixie to go back to your quarters till we can straighten this out. Ying-Tai, same goes for you. Mrs. Li's tea will have to be a mite delayed. Zoe, any crew forward?"

"Just Wash, sir." She said.

"Why don't you keep him company for a spell? And close the hatch, would you?" Nodding, the taciturn woman retreated toward the bridge, sliding the hatch closed as she went.

The red headed prostitute looked like she was going to argue until Mal casually rested his palm on the butt of his pistol. Her eyes widened and she didn't protest further as she and the other women funneled past him. As soon as they were gone he quietly slid the hatch shut, giving them a bit of privacy.

_You too, little bird. Git!_" He thought as loudly as he could, just in case. He thought he heard a quiet scrabbling noise under the deck but he couldn't be sure over Pixie's muffled sobbing.

He sank in a chair and traded a look with the madam. Her face showed her whole world crashing around her. Mal sighed heavily.

_Well ain't this just grand? _He thought to himself. _Gorram karma. _He sighed again.

"Pixie, _mei-mei_, why don't you get up and sit in a chair? Be a sight more comfy. _For all of us_, he added silently.

Obediently the tiny waif did as he asked. Her eyes were already puffy and red, she looked like she'd just run over a puppy.

"How did anyone find out?" She wailed. "I was so _careful_. I never told _anybody, _I swear!" Trixie's eyes hardened and she started glaring at Mal.

"You told me one of your crew _overheard_ her." Trixie said meaningfully. "You _lied_."

"Trixie didn't know either." Pixie said desperately to Mal. "I never told her. It's not her fault. How did you _know_?"

Those two sets of eyes staring at him was more than he could take. One pair, young, desperate, and heartbroken, the other pair old before their time, peering out of a ruined dream.

"Stop lookin' at me like that. I didn't lie. And Pixie never said it out loud."

"_Ju kou shia suo._" Trixie snapped. "You can't have it both ways. Either she did or you are lying."

"I'm gonna regret this." He moved over to the intercom and activated it. "River, come to the dining room."

The hatch slid open immediately. River must have been on the other side. Mal put down the mike, feeling foolish.

_Probably could have thought for her to come, _he reflected ruefully.

"Yes, you could have." River said as she calmly sat on the floor, leaning against Pixie's legs. The waif's eyes widened in surprise.

"My imagination, or are you getting better at that?" Mal asked mildly. River just smiled one of her careless smiles.

"Uh, _na mei guan xi._" He said hastily. She chuckled.

"I thought you had no place for children on your ship, Captain." Trixie mocked.

"Doc's sister--and she's crew. _Wo hu chung long_."

"Really." Trixie said in a flat voice that dripped scorn.

"You don't think so? Fair 'nough. But let me tell you about our little bird here." Mal leaned forward, looking the madam in the eye.

"One time she cut Jayne right across the chest with a butcher knife after he'd been less than polite. _He's_ afraid of _her_. I seen her hold her own against five grown men in a bar room brawl. She walked out, not a scratch. They had to be carried." Mal said. "Not too long ago she killed three men while the crew was rescuing me and Wash. Kaylee said River didn't even bother to look at 'em as she fired." He paused.

"Oh, and she ain't entirely sane, neither."

"All that bein' said, that ain't what makes her dangerous. Though she's safe enough 'round those as don't mean her harm."

River smiled at Trixie, who frowned uncertainly.

"So why is she dangerous?" She finally asked.

"Pixie found that out." Mal said mildly. "It's what brought us to this sorry pass."

"I don't understand." Pixie finally spoke up. She was staring down at River, trying to figure out why she should be afraid of her.

"I hear voices in my head." River said in a far away voice, turning to look at Pixie, or rather _through _Pixie. "I hear _your_ voice, drowning out all the ghosts. Crying for your mama, wondering if you could let a man lie with you, worried somebody will find out you won't be legal for another three years. Worried you'll disappoint Trixie, afraid to lose her to Reavers like you did your _ba_."

"My father? Oh sweet Buddha! How did you--?" Pixie's hands flew to her mouth. "I never told _anybody_ about that!"

"Thirty seven." River said, glancing pityingly at Trixie.

"_Ai ya!_" Trixie breathed, shocked to her soul. "_Tian fuhn di fu!_ She read my _mind_._"_

"Yeah, it does take some gettin' used to." Mal agreed. "So you see how it is. Oh, and neither one of you breathe a word about River to _nobody_, not even the other ladies, _dong ma?_ It would not be healthful, I'm thinkin'."

"I'm just trying to live in the 'verse too." River said to them. "We all got our troubles. Leave me be and I won't hurt you." She smiled brightly, and then started idly running her fingers through her hair, watching something the others couldn't see. The unspoken thought lingered in the air. _Don't leave me be and..._

"Ok. Pixie, not a word, understand?" Trixie said quickly.

"Yes, _lao ban ni'un_." Pixie dipped her head, unable to bow because River was still leaning against her, River's head cradled in her lap.

"So what are we going to do? I still need a _di wu ming cheng yuan, _and Pixie needs to make a living."

"I honestly do not know." Mal said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "We got us nearly a month to figure it out, though. Maybe Pixie can do some o' those jobs you were talkin' 'bout? Laundry, cookin', sewin', and such like?"

"She'd still be living in a whorehouse, Captain." Trixie pointed out.

"Well, _livin'_ ain't _workin'_, now is it?" Mal said. "I got no problem with whores; they gotta make a livin' same as me. But children what don't know nothin' 'bout the world, they should not be havin' to make such a choice._ Bi se yan jing zhuo ma que._ They don't reckon on the bad parts. And you knows as well as me there's bad parts to what you do."

"Of course there are. Like not having a _xiao jie_." Trixie said. "Any ideas about that?"

"Well, I ain't sure what a _xiao jie_ is, exactly. I mean I know what the words mean, but not the way _you_ mean 'em."

"A little girl, Captain. Pigtails and lace and innocence." Trixie said. "She has to be old enough to be legal, but look younger. _Dong le ma?_"

"I reckon. Pixie was gonna do that? Kinda sick, ain't it?"

"It's a fantasy, Captain." Trixie said. "I played the _xiao jie _when I started out, till I couldn't pull it off anymore. It's not so bad. Most of the _kai tze _that want a _xiao jie_, they're usually kind of sad. I never minded them. Some of the supposedly normal clients though--they could get _scary_."

"We were plannin' on stopping off on Beaumonde afore heading on to Lilac." Mal said. "I know a couple a fellas there that do what Badger does. They maybe could find a _xiao jie_ for you. They'd want payin' though."

"Thank you _ever_ so much. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be looking for a _xiao jie_." She said bitterly.

"Yeah, well, would you really want her doing that, now that you know she's fifteen?" Mal demanded. "Still, you're right it was me what brought this trouble on you. Maybe we can work somethin' out concerning Fanty and Mingo's fee."

"At least you're trying." Trixie admitted grudgingly. "More than I expected."

"He surprises a lot of folks." River said suddenly. She stood up. "Come talk with me, Pixie. Ain't seen another young face I could talk with in years."

"Is that safe, Captain?" Trixie said eyeing the dark haired girl.

"Long as Pixie don't try and kill her she'll be safer with River than without." Mal said reassuringly. "Pixie, you wanna talk to River?"

"I think I'd like that." Pixie said shyly. Mal was suddenly struck by how Pixie hadn't said a word while he and the madam had arranged her fate. The two girls left the room.

"Not an auspicious start to my new business." She said ruefully.

"No argument from me. Sorry for all the ruckus. Mrs. Li is gonna be all up in your business now. Ying-Tai's her niece. The two of 'em joyridin' 'round the system. And causing me all manner o' grief."

"I can handle Mrs. Li." Trixie said, smiling. "She's not the first _pofu_ I've had to deal with, trust me."

"Yeah, this is going to be an _interestin' _trip." Mal said reflectively. _Last time I pull a practical joke though. Karma's a real _mu gou_._


	19. Ch 19 Justice Delayed

Somehow they managed the rest of the trip. Madame Li and Trixie had a single frigid exchange of hostile fire. Mal hadn't seen it but Jayne had been agog with the news. Mal wished he _had _been there; it would have made the whole karma thing worthwhile.

Fate had been kind, in the guise of Fanty and Mingo. A suitable girl was available to make Trixie's fifth member. If River hadn't let him know the lady was an adult he'd have never believed it, she looked even more like a kid than Pixie did.

Feeling bad Mal had even paid the twins' fee out of his own pocket. Well, using a bit of creative accounting with fuel prices he'd actually paid out of _Madame Li's_ pocket, but their finder's fee had been surprisingly reasonable. Mal felt no guilt; it was well within the bounds of the interest she owed him for commandeering his ship.

The short hop to Lilac was uneventful and the _brothel in a can _was unloaded without incident. Mal bid Trixie and her girls a cordial farewell. Pixie kowtowed to him, which was embarrassing, but her heartfelt thanks was worse, and made him squirm.

In front of the entire crew.

"Wash, get us in the air." Mal growled. The ribbing had already started, and it was a long way back to Persephone. Grinning, the pilot started the preflight check.

"The ghosts are back." A voice behind him said. "They're not quiet any more. They want her."

Mal felt a chill run all over him. River's voice was cold, it was focused. That never boded well.

"Little bird you're bein' more creepifyin' than usual. And that's sayin' somethin'."

"A woman, in the dark, screaming." River focused on him and he shivered. She was lucid, she was focused--and something else was looking out of her eyes.

"Miranda?" He guessed. She nodded.

"Miranda--the sixteenth planet. Thirty million ghosts. All screaming. We have to take her to them. She killed them. They want her to see. They want her to _stay. _They want justice."

"Wait, Miranda's the name of the _planet_?" Mal said. "You said Madame Li killed _Miranda_. You mean to say she killed the whole _planet?_ All the folks on it?"

"Yes."

That single word hung in the air naked and alone. River waited patiently for him. He thought of several curses, but none seemed to embody the enormity of that one word. So he concentrated on the pragmatic.

"Little bird we dunno where Miranda might be. Captain Picard never gave me coordinates, nor an orbital track, nor nothin'."

"_Serenity_ knows. _Enterprise_ told her." River said. She moved to the navigational system and punched in a set of codes. The system obediently brought up a standard planetary identification display. Mal's eyes narrowed. The planet's name was listed as _Chara XVI--_which was not how the Alliance identified worlds. Especially terraformed ones. That convinced him River was right. _Enterprise_ had loaded this data into the computer.

There were standard orbital coordinates, showing how far from the sun Miranda was, and where she was in her orbit. Naturally the system also displayed transit time from their current location.

"Two days." Mal said aloud. "Wash, get us in the air. Set course for this ghost world. I wanna see what all the fuss is about."

"Is that such a good idea, Mal?" None the less Wash was laying in the course and lifting _Serenity_ spaceward.

"Probably not, but we ain't gonna let thirty million ghosts stand between us and the truth, now are we?" Mal said with a crooked grin.

"Um, yes?" Wash answered looking at him hopefully.

"Mind the store." Mal said, turning away. "Don't let nobody know we're headed to Miranda, I wanna let it be a surprise. River, secret, all right?" The girl nodded, but Mal wasn't entirely sure it was River watching him leave the bridge.

There was a slow anger stirring in his gut, he knew once it surfaced he was going to kill something--or someone. He just wanted to make sure it was going to be the _right _someone first. He found Zoe in the armory, doing an inventory.

"We got enough ammo?" He asked, leaning against the hatch.

"If you count the .45 caliber rounds for that antique Jayne got from _Enterprise_." Zoe said. "We got enough to kill anything we're likely to run across."

"Good to know." He walked in and swung the hatch closed. Zoe raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Another crisis, sir?"

He nodded. "Tell me, Zoe, you ever killed a ghost?"

"Can't say as I have, sir." Zoe was looking at him in open curiosity.

"River just told me who Miranda is." Mal said sourly.

"Is, sir? Isn't she dead?"

He nodded. "In a manner o' speakin'. Turns out Miranda ain't a person. Miranda's a planet. More to the point it's the _sixteenth_ planet. Two days away on our present course."

"What? You mean the one the _Reavers_ came from?" Zoe's eyes actually went wide. This meant she was nearly in shock.

"That's the one. And we're headin' there 'cause River says the ghosts aren't quiet any more. They're calling for Madame Li. They want her to come and stay with them. Forever."

"Sounds like something out of a ghost story, sir."

"Does, don't it? But you wanna bet River's wrong about Madame Li?"

Zoe hesitated. "Not really, sir. So what's the plan?"

"Plan is, we take a look-see from orbit, find out the lay o' the land." Mal said. "We don't see nothin' interestin' we head on back to Persephone, no harm done and nobody the wiser."

"And if we do find something interesting?" Zoe asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well then we land and poke around. Cautiouslike, case there's a stray Reaver or two _Enterprise_ missed. And we make sure to take Madame Li with us. Let her see what she done, up close and personal."

"You really don't like her, do you sir?"

"I deal with whores and scoundrels ever day o' the week, Zoe. I'm a smuggler and a thief, and not proud admittin' it. I even shot down men 'cause they was tryin' to kill me."

He watched her steadily, his voice calm and controlled.

"But I _never _killed thirty million innocent folks and then went on with my life like nothin' had happened. She did that, Zoe. She made the Reavers, she killed those folks. Hell, she's responsible for all those folks the Reavers slaughtered and et. And _then_ she kept on livin'. That sound fair to you?"

"No, sir." Zoe's face was expressionless. "You gonna kill her?"

"I'm studyin' on it." He said. "Can you tell me one good reason I shouldn't?"

"Because you ain't her, sir." Zoe said calmly. Mal blinked at her.

"Well, we'll know in two days. Don't tell nobody we're headed for Miranda."

"I assume Wash knows." She said lightly. Mal snorted.

"O' course. And River. And you and me. Nobody else needs to. For now. Far as they know, we're headin' for Persephone. We find nothin' at Miranda, that'll be the truth."

"What about Madame Li?" Zoe said. "If we find nothing?"

"Ain't decided yet."

"And Ying-Tai?"

Mal winced. "Always gotta be one loose end, don't there? She ain't old enough to be party to the deed."

"She'll fight." Zoe noted. Mal nodded glumly.

"Reckon she will. Course, it all depends on what we find on Miranda. She might not care so much after that. Might not want to fight."

"Why do I have a bad feeling, sir?" Zoe asked.

"Cause we just got dumped in a gorram ghost story?" Mal said. "You ever heard a happy endin' to one o' those? I'm bettin' there'll be a big sign readin' _Abandon All Hope_ right where we land."

"You thinkin' we'll be landing then, sir?"

"Ghost story, 'member?" He said sourly. "It's always somethin'. Sucks ya right in, and don't let go till everybody's dead."

"Then why go?" Zoe asked. "Seems to me the smart thing would be go back to Persephone and forget there ever was a sixteenth planet."

Mal looked at her for a minute. "You're right, Zoe. We could do that. But we ain't gonna. You wanna know why?"

"Be nice to know why we're risking life and limb, sir." She answered sardonically.

"Cause we're _heroes,_ Zoe." Mal said bitterly. "We shake the pillars of heaven and watch the debris rain down from on high. Then we duck and weave and at the end of the day the 'verse gets to go on livin' while we nurse our broken bones."

"We could always run, sir." Zoe pointed out. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"I'm _tired_ of runnin', Zoe. I been runnin' since the war ended. The Alliance tried something evil on Miranda. Thought they could make folks _better_. Well there's thirty million ghosts that say the Alliance thought wrong. River says they're real quiet, not makin' no noise."

"That woman sitting on _my _boat, she did that. Then she forced me to carry her here. She's the one who tried to make everybody _behave_, like well trained doggies, all slobbery and tail-wagging."

Mal glared at her. "Well I ain't no trained dog, _dong ma?_ Somebody's gotta speak for all those folks who can't talk no more. Get 'em some kind o' justice." He opened the hatch, turning to her.

"I aim to _misbehave_."


	20. Ch 20 There’s Just Us

Kaylee knew something was up when Wash told her he needed the main engine. It was only the second day since they'd left Lilac, the engine should have been down for another month. But she didn't argue and watched as _Serenity _performed what had to be an orbital insertion. Full of curiosity she went looking for the Captain.

She found him and Zoe on the bridge. They were in orbit around a planet that shouldn't have been there.

"What's goin' on?" Kaylee asked plaintively. "Where are we?"

"_Mei-mei_, hello." Mal said. "You might as well come and see. Everybody's gonna know soon enough. Meet Miranda."

"Miranda? Ain't that the woman River said Auntie Kai-ying killed?" Kaylee asked as she came up to stare through the windshield.

"That's the one. Only turns out Miranda's the name of a planet, not a woman." Mal said.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"That's the planet the Reavers come from." Mal said.

"Oh God. They're all dead though, right?" Kaylee asked nervously. "The Reavers I mean. They _are _dead, right?"

"Yup. Along with every other soul that lived there. Madame Li killed 'em."

"_What?_ How?" Kaylee stared at Mal, face turning pale.

"She was the one who approved the drug that turned Reavers insane and everybody else into livin' wax dummies." Mal said.

"Oh God." Kaylee looked like she was going to be sick.

"This is what happens when the Alliance plays at bein' God." Mal said. "Zoe, talk to me."

"Every reading I'm getting says normal. Oceans, landmasses, no volcanic activity so no tectonic instability, no radiation. Looks like the atmosphere is good, see how blue it looks? Computer says normal nitrogen/oxygen mix."

"Yeah but there's no power either." Wash commented. "No radio, no traffic control radar, nada."

"Nothin' at all?" Mal asked. "Surely _something_ still works."

"Not seeing anything." Wash flipped a few more switches. "Not even the emergency--hello, what's this? Might be a distress beacon." He said doubtfully. "It's awfully weak. If it weren't for the tune up _Enterprise_ gave us, and the fact there's nothing else transmitting, we'd never be able to hear it."

"Can you find it?" Mal asked.

"Hang on." Wash turned several dials delicately. "Come on baby, come on, come to papa--_go se_. Lost it. Have to try again next orbit. Sorry Mal."

"I ain't in no particular hurry." Mal said. "What did I tell you, Zoe? That beacon is the _somethin'_ luring us in."

"You think it's a trap, sir?"

"Absolutely." He said, nodding. "Course it ain't one laid by people. I'm thinkin' we find that beacon we're gonna find River's ghosts."

"What, _ghosts _can create a distress beacon now? When did we move from science fiction to horror?" Wash asked plaintively.

"When River told us the ghosts was calling Madame Li to come see 'em." Mal said to Wash, dead serious. "We got us anythin' what can look at the surface? We know there were thirty million people here, be nice to have a map afore we go blunderin' around."

Wash shook his head.

"I was afraid o' that." Mal grumbled. "Times like this I miss the _Enterprise_. She coulda probably shown it to us in full color and stereophonic sound too."

"It's ok, girl." Kaylee said patting a console. "He don't mean nothin' by it."

"How soon till you can try again?" Mal asked, ignoring the mechanic.

"About 90 minutes." Wash said. "Maybe less, but it's so weak we have to be pretty much overhead to see it at all."

"Do what you can." Mal said.

In the end it actually took three more orbits before the elusive beacon could be pinpointed. Zoe and Kaylee had left the bridge hours before. As soon as they had a location Mal ordered Wash to bring _Serenity_ down to do a fly-over of the beacon before deciding whether to land or not.

It didn't take long to shed most of her orbital velocity. _Serenity_ came down at a steep angle at a few hundred kilometers per hour, passing over several large cities on its way to the beacon. All of the cities were in ruins, mostly intact but several had severe fire damage and all showed signs that nature was starting to reclaim them.

"It weren't a terrible long time ago." Mal commented. "None of the overgrowth is big trees, looks like all sapling growth."

"Guess the fires were when the grid started dying." Wash said. "Short circuits and overloads and nobody left to fight the fires. Wouldn't have taken too long, maybe a week. Hey, Mal, we're coming up on the beacon. Thirty seconds."

"Slow us down Wash, I want a good look-see." Mal said. He grabbed the radio mike. "Zoe, come to the bridge please."

"There it is." Wash said. "It's an Alliance research vessel. Looks like she came in hot and there was nobody minding the store. They didn't expect the landing grid to be down and didn't compensate in time. Looks like she hit pretty hard. Doubt she could lift after that."

"You seein' anything movin'?" Mal asked. "Don't wanna find out there's stragglers the hard way."

"Nope." Wash said. "Nothing mechanical, at any rate. I'm too busy flying to look for animals or Reavers."

"Good point." Mal admitted. "Make another pass. If we still don't see nothin', find us a close place to land." When nothing offered a threat Wash found the closest open spot he could and slipped _Serenity _into what looked like a small park.

"Ok, boss. We're here. Now what?"

"Now the fun begins." Mal said with a baring of teeth that wasn't a smile.

He picked up the microphone and said in a loud excited voice. "Emergency, emergency, all crew and passengers assemble in the dining room. This is not a drill. All crew and passengers report to the dining room _immediately_."

"Hit the klaxon, will you Wash?" Mal said with a straight face. "Wanna make sure Madame Li don't ignore our little invite."

The distinctive collision alarm rang through the ship.

"All crew and passengers to the dining room immediately. This is not a drill. I say again this is _not_ a drill."

He grinned at Wash. "You can kill the alarm. Let's get down there.

When they arrived the crew was assembled, but there was no sign of Ying-Tai or Madame Li. Mal was just about to ask where they were when they came rushing in.

"What's going on Captain Reynolds?" Madame Li asked in a tone just missing polite inquiry.

"Well, Madame Li it seems we've come to a parting of the ways." Mal said in a serious tone the crew had seldom heard him use. Jayne stiffened, which made Ying-Tai wary. Madame Li's eyes hardened.

"Are you betraying me, Captain?" Her voice was low and dangerous.

"Pretty much." He agreed, drawing his pistol and leveling it at her. Zoe went still and Kaylee's eyes grew wide.

"See, River just got 'round to tellin' me who Miranda was as we was leaving Lilac." Mal said. "Said the ghosts had come back, only this time they was screamin'. For you. Wanted you to come see 'em, wanted you to come and _stay_." He grew grim. "Said the ghosts wanted justice."

"Now I been none too happy with you, what with you commandeering my boat, but I was willin' to forgive that, seein' as how you was paying the bills and all. But there ain't no forgivin' what you done to Miranda. Thirty million ghosts make one powerful scream, don't they?" He watched her over the sights of his pistol.

She closed her eyes, shoulders slumping. "Yes, Captain, they do. I've had nightmares about Miranda for years. Ghostly vengeance from beyond the grave." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Are you planning to shoot me?"

"I thought about it." Mal said quietly. "But vengeance ain't mine to claim, is it? I ain't Miranda. Let her claim her vengeance, if she's a mind to."

"_Zhe shi shen me?_" She asked in confusion.

"You have no idea where you are, do you? Why don't you look up and tell me what you see through those windows over my head?"

"Blue skies of course--_shen me?_" Her face registered shock as she realized the implications.

"That's right. We ain't in space; we're on _Miranda_, Madame Li." Mal said. "I really thought about this and seems to me puttin' you off _Serenity_ here is the most fittin' punishment I can mete out for your crimes. I'd dearly love to pull this trigger right now, but like I said others got prior claim. Besides, cheatin' ghosts outa their justice sounds mighty dangerous, not to mention downright rude."

"You're killing her just the same Mal." Inara spoke up. "She'll starve."

"Not my problem, Inara." Mal said shortly. "Most of those ghosts died of starvation too. But I doubt it'll come to that. She's got a whole city to scavenge from. There's concentrates around somewhere, no doubt."

"The food in this city is twelve years old, Captain." Madame Li said quietly. "Not even concentrates last that long."

"Well thank you kindly for letting us know when Miranda died." Mal said levelly. "Anything else you'd care to enlighten us on, whilst you got the time?"

"Sheppard Book, surely you can do something?" Madame Li demanded.

"I'm afraid not. Captain Reynolds seldom listens to my advice."

"Not true, preacher. I listen--just don't always agree." Mal said, pistol never wavering. "And somehow I doubt you'd try to change my mind this time."

"May the Lord forgive me." Book said heavily. "I don't think I will. Madame Li, you usurped powers only God is wise enough to wield. Your hubris killed everyone on Miranda. And now judgment has fallen on you. How ironic you forced your way onto this ship, only to have Miranda itself become your judge and jury. Maybe your executioner too."

"Mal, please." Inara begged. "This is murder. You'd be no better than her."

"You stand there and defend this _tian sha de e mo?_" Mal demanded. "You think maybe killing thirty million innocent souls and letting loose the Reavers to plague the whole gorram system don't deserve dyin' for? You remember that scow we ran into--that scow what got hit by Reavers? _She _did that. Sixteen families and the crew. You defending _that?_"

"I'm defending _you_." Inara said fiercely. "You do this and how are you any better than she is?"

"Fine." Mal said, taken aback. "Fine. Zoe, Jayne, cover 'em." He holstered his pistol after Zoe pulled hers. Jane produced a small pistol of his own, but he wasn't wearing his usual fearsome grin. He was frowning.

"Problem, Jayne?" Mal asked sharply.

"Don't got a problem shootin' the old woman, Mal. But I'd really hate shooting Ying-Tai." Jayne said.

"I'm hopin' we don't gotta shoot nobody." Mal retorted.

Jayne brightened a little. To Ying-Tai he said. "Don't make me shoot you, okay? Cause I really don't wanna do that."

"I don't want you to do that either." The woman said coolly. Jayne grinned; those were the first words she had ever spoken to him.

"Now listen up. We're all goin' for a little walk. Zoe, you got the locator?"

"Yes, sir." Her pistol, unlike Jayne's, was pointed at Ying-Tai. Jayne's was pointed at Madame Li.

"We're all going to find out exactly what happened on Miranda, every gorram one of us. And after our little stroll I'm gonna ask for a vote on whether we leave Madame Li here or not. Ying-Tai, you weren't part of what went on twelve years ago, so I ain't holding you accountable, _dong ma?_ You're gonna have to decide if she's worth stickin' with after what you're about to see."

"Captain Reynolds, I am an operative charged with protecting Madame Li. Nothing else matters to me. Miranda is irrelevant."

Mal gaped at her. "Yeah, well, tell me that after you see what we find, little girl." He turned to Jayne.

"Go get weapons for them as can use 'em. Long arms and side arms both. Better bring Vera. And lots of grenades."

"Thought the Reavers was all dead." Jayne objected. "Why the artillery?"

Madame Li's head snapped around. "How do you know that?" She asked mildly.

"Jayne, your mouth is talking. You might wanna look to that." Mal said sourly. Jayne scowled, but left the room.

"How do you know the Reavers are dead, Captain Reynolds?" Madame Li repeated her question.

"Ain't sayin'." Mal said, after trying and failing to come up with something clever.

"Oh come now. Indulge an old woman's curiosity who's not long for this world."

"See, now that's where you got it wrong." Mal said. "The bad guys are the ones who spill their guts in a long gloating speech. The good guys just shoot the bad guys with no jawin' whatsoever."

"Then what does that make you?" She asked curiously.

"Eh, guess I'm just alright." Mal said. "Long as we're on the subject of gloatin', any other sins you wanna confess? Say that Academy place that cut on River's brain?"

"That wasn't my doing." Madame Li denied. "The Guiding Light was concerned with advancing mankind. You want to talk to--"

"Madame Li!" Ying-Tai spoke sharply.

"The Steady Hand." River spoke up. "Never mind, _jie-jie._ It's not important. I already know."

"Big sister?" Mal's eyes narrowed. "Only two reasons River would be callin' you that, Ying-Tai. And I know for a fact you ain't her blood sister. You got somethin' to do with this Academy place? They cut open your brain too? Maybe take out the part that made you human?"

"River is a failed experiment, Captain. The only reason we were chasing her was to prevent anyone from learning about Miranda." Ying-Tai's manner had changed abruptly. Before she had been quiet, reserved, and polite. Now the claws were showing.

"Malcolm Reynolds doesn't go looking for trouble." River declared. Mal noted with dismay she was focused on Ying-Tai.

"You do not want to be provokin' River now." He said. "She's a mite volatile. Not to mention you got a gun pointed right at your head at the moment. Why don't we hold off killin' each other till after our little promenade? Maybe Miranda will show you that you been on the wrong side all along."

"Very well, Captain." Ying-Tai said. "No point in needless heroics is there?"

"Not so much. See, here's something else I don't get. If an operative was chasin' Madame Li and _you're _an operative too how come you didn't kill her off your own self? Would seem to be more economical."

"Really, Captain." Madame Li spoke up, amused. "Are you really that politically naïve? Do you think it's that simple? Black and white, the Alliance against the Independents? One side representing goodness and light, the other darkest evil?"

"Kinda, yeah." Mal said, frowning. "I take it not everybody in the Alliance is pulling the same way?"

"No, Mal." Inara spoke up. "There's all sorts of factions in the Alliance. The fact the Americans and the Chinese formed the Alliance in the first place should have made you think. There's no way two such different cultures could fuse without infighting. Just look at you and Badger."

"So that whole Unification thing, the war, one faction pushed it and the others sort of went along?"

"Of course, Captain. The Guiding Light was the prime force behind the Unification movement. We thought bringing all mankind under one overarching set of goals would end many of the problems we face as a race."

"In any large group there will always be differences of opinion. But usually everyone agrees on the most important goal. The Guiding Light seeks the advancement of mankind. The Steady Hand seeks the preservation of the Alliance. These goals are not mutually exclusive are they? The Alliance is a force that helps bind the race together."

"These two factions of yours worked together during the war? They _caused_ the war?" Mal asked mildly. "So let me understand you. Not only do you have the blood of Miranda on your hands, you _also _got the blood of every _hundan_ that fell in Serenity valley, and every other battle of your unification war on your hands too? From where I'm standin', Madame Li you're the single most guilty human bein' in the history o' the race. And I call you human only 'cause I can't think of a single word that' bad enough to call you. You're makin' it powerful hard not to shoot you where you stand."

Jayne showed that moment to show up. He started handing out guns to the crew, starting with Zoe's favorite shotgun. Mal pulled his own pistol to cover the two passengers lest they get any ideas about distractions and firearms.

"All right." Mal said when Jayne was done. "We take it nice and slow. There may be one or two strays about that weren't in that fleet. Yes, I know about the gorram fleet, Madame Li. You ain't the only one with secrets. We marshal in the cargo bay. Our destination's probably a ten minute walk. You and Ying-Tai go in the middle, and any funny business concerning hostage takin' and I will shoot the offender in a place that _will_ _not kill them_. Least ways, not all at once. And if I ain't able one of the others will. _Dong le ma?"_

"Understood, Captain." Ying-Tai nodded.

"Just so everybody understands one another." Mal said. "This is where the Reavers were made; one or two may still be lurkin' about. So stay sharp. What we're about to see ain't fit for human eyes, and it's gonna be powerful nasty. Hell, I don't wanna go see my own self, but it's needful. Zoe, you take point. Jayne, rear guard. The rest of you scream like bloody murder if you see _anything_ movin'."

His lips quirked. "Remember, people. _It's never just the cat_. That goes for you two as well. Reavers won't distinguish. Understand?"

Ying-Tai nodded. Madame Li's face paled but she stood straight and defiant.

Once they reached the cargo bay they made their final preparations. Mal nodded to Kaylee who opened the cargo bay door and lowered the ramp.

"And now we go hunting ghosties and ghoulies and things what go bump in the night." Mal said. He smiled brightly at the others. "Ready boys and girls? _Avaunt!"_ The group moved out _en masse_.

"Close her up, Kaylee. No need to leave an unlocked door in this neighborhood." Mal said. The doors closed with a hiss and the ramp raised and locked with a dull boom that echoed around the park.

As they moved off Mal eyed the group. Zoe was on point with her shotgun and no doubt she was wearing her body armor. Mal sort of envied her that at the moment and made a mental note to obtain some in the near future. Of course he'd made the same mental note after every misadventure; it was getting to be a big pile.

Naturally Jayne was a walking armory, and had body armor as well, only his was blatant combat armor. He bristled with grenades, and Mal was comforted by the sight. Jayne had his faults (so _many_ faults) but he was invaluable in a firefight.

Inara was the surprise. She had a small pistol that Mal didn't recognize. It had to be hers because it hadn't come from the armory. But the real surprise was her long arm--a _bow_, a complex compound bow, complete with a quiver of arrows across her back. She'd ducked into her shuttle just before they left. Mal contemplated the head on the arrow she had nocked. It was a hunting arrow with four razor-sharp blades. _Man get hit with that he'd bleed out right quick_, Mal thought.

For the first time he saw Inara as more than just a glorified whore. She handled the bow like she was comfortable with it, the way Mal handled his pistol.

Mal himself had an automatic rifle, a relic of the war. In it were highly illegal explosive rounds. He didn't intend what he shot to get up again. Or have enough parts _left_ to get up again, come to that...

Book was packing too, and that surprised Mal. Maybe the preacher had come to the conclusion that Reavers weren't men anymore. He carried the twin to Zoe's combat shotgun and a big automatic at his waist. Funny thing, he looked like he knew how to use them. Mal reflected on how much he _didn't _know about the preacher.

Wash had a machine pistol, but Simon, River, and Kaylee were unarmed, as were Ying-Tai and Madame Li. Only River knew how to shoot and Mal was leery of giving her a _knife_, much less a gun. Zoe and Jayne were in full agreement--especially Jayne. Besides, River knew some kind of martial arts, he hadn't been lying when he said he'd seen her lay out five grown men in a bar room brawl.

They'd almost reached the park's entrance when Zoe held up her hand for the group to halt. She sprinted toward something on the ground. She examined it for a long time, making everyone in the group get edgy.

"Sir!" She called and her voice was strained. "Sir, you better come look at this. Everybody else _stay back_."

Mal frowned and started forward at a trot. Something had disturbed his imperturbable first officer, and that was inconceivable. She'd followed him unflinching through hell during the war. _Gorram ghost story_, he thought viciously.

"What's up?" He asked, looking down at the thing on the ground. It was a skeleton, probably female from then clothes. The bones had yellowed from twelve years exposed to the elements and the clothes were dirty and tattered, although the expensive cloth had retained traces of its original pattern and color. The slippers were likewise expensive and had weathered the years better than the clothes had.

The skeleton was on its back, the skull detached and about an inch away from the neck, obviously having fallen off sometime in the last decade. There was an incongruously cheap necklace lying among the bones of the neck.

Mal felt the chill of déjà vu, which was ridiculous. He'd never seen a skeletal corpse before, especially lying out in the open like this. But the sense of familiarity wouldn't go away.

"Gruesome." He commented. "But you seen worse. What's got you so spooked, Zoe?"

"You don't see it, sir? The clothes? The shoes? The necklace?"

"I see 'em. So?"

"You've seen them before."

"Couldn't have. Them bones been here twelve years, Zoe."

"Yes sir. That's the scary part. I saw them not five minutes ago. The clothes. The shoes. The _necklace_. Walking around. With us." She was actually shaking.

"What you sayin', Zoe?" Mal asked watching her, alarmed. If Zoe was losing it there was no hope for the rest of them.

"Who you seen wearing those clothes today? Those shoes?"

"_Nobody_, Zoe." Mal said patiently. "Those clothes been here twelve years, just like the bones."

"Mighty funny coincidence, then sir. Look back at our group and tell me who's wearing a blue outfit with yellow crane outlines on it."

Humoring her, he did. Then he froze. "_Tai kong suo you de xing qiu sai jin wo de pigu!_" He swore. Despite her state of mind she had to smile. It helped remove the horror.

"You see it too? I ain't crazy?" She asked.

"I see it." Mal said. "Hang me if I can _explain_ it, but I see it." He knelt by the skeleton and picked up the necklace, sliding it clear of the bones as carefully as he could so as not to disturb the corpse.

"Zoe, you ever seen anybody touch Madame Li?" He asked, weighing the cheap trinket in his hand. The wooden beads hadn't held up nearly as well as the stones and metal, but there were still traces of pigment on them.

"No sir. Why?"

"We never seen her eat or drink, have we?" He went on, contemplating the necklace.

"I don't think so." Zoe said. "Where are you headed, sir?"

"We're in a _ghost story_, Zoe. What if Madame Li's been on Miranda these last twelve years?"

"That's crazy talk, sir." Zoe said, but without conviction.

"Yeah. But here we are." Mal held up the necklace for her inspection. "I think it's time I shook Madame Li by the hand, don't you? Just to be sure?"

"That's a plan, sir." Zoe said disapprovingly. "What if you find you can't touch her?"

"Well that solves everybody's problems, don't it?" He stood and strode purposely back to the group. Without pausing he walked straight to Madame Li and before anyone could react had grabbed her by the hand and put the necklace in it, closing her fingers around the trinket.

Then to her shock he scooped the necklace off her chest and bent down close to examine it.

"What do you think you are _doing_, Captain?" She asked in an outraged voice.

"She's solid, Zoe." He announced.

"What? Of _course _I'm solid, what did you expect?" She fumed.

"Look at that necklace I put in your hand." He said, staring her in the eye. Taken aback she reflexively did so. Then frowned.

"All right. I'm looking. What about it? It looks like it's been out in the weather for a long time." Madame Li said.

"Where did you get your necklace, Madame Li?" Mal asked, with odd intensity. Puzzled, the elderly woman watched him.

"I picked it up on Persephone last month. Why? It was just a cheap trinket I found in the bazaar. It cost less than a credit. Why are you so interested in a cheap piece of jewelry?"

"Cause the one in your hand is identical to the one around your neck." Mal said. She frowned, and then looked more closely.

"So it is." She said slowly. "A bit weird, but it can't be unique. Surely they mass produce them? Where did you find it?"

"Around the neck of a skeleton wearing the exact same outfit and shoes you got on now." Mal said quietly.

"_Shen me?_" She asked, shocked.

"And I ain't no expert on women's shoes but I'm willin' to bet she was wearing the same size you do."

"That's impossible. This outfit was an original, Captain." She replied, relaxing.

"Ying-Tai. Have Zoe escort you over to what we found and then you tell us if I'm lyin'." Mal said, watching Madame Li. The two women left.

"Why are you playing silly games, Captain?" Madame Li demanded crossly.

"You got proof in your hand I ain't playin'." Mal said in a level tone. "I dunno what it means, but there's a skeleton over there wearing your clothes and your shoes and your necklace. A skeleton that's been lyin' there twelve long years. You got an explanation for that?"

"No. Nor do you, apparently." Madame Li said dryly. "This is the kind of thing you read about in bad novels, Captain. Did you really think I was a ghost or something?"

"I think you're a monster." He said somberly. "I'm still tryin' to figure out what kind." Madame Li flinched.

Just then Ying-Tai and Zoe returned. In Ying-Tai's hand was a shoe. Wordlessly she handed it to Madame Li.

The old woman's eyes widened and her face paled to the color of old ivory. She reached down and took off one of her own shoes.

The two were a perfect match, one fairly new, and the other old and bedraggled. But clearly the same shoes.

"My shoes were made on Sihnon by Hu Lin." She said. Inara gasped. Madame Li gave her a wan smile. "Yes, child. _That _Hu Lin. Look at the base of the heel." There was a stylized tiger's head on both shoes.

"No one has ever duplicated Hu Lin's work. Both of these are Hu Lin originals--but Hu Lin only produced one of a kind items. He was famous for it."

"Meaning?" Mal asked.

"Meaning _this_ shoe" She held up the battered one. "And _this_ shoe." She held up the new one. "Are in fact the _same_ shoe." She sighed heavily. "Which means _that_ skeleton is _my _skeleton. This would mean I died on Miranda twelve years ago."

"Kinda hard to be talkin' to us now, then." Mal pointed out.

"True." She laughed bitterly. "From the moment the _Sa Shui Jiao _vanished the universe went insane. Everything that has happened since then has been _impossible._ Makes me wonder if I'm not the one who's gone mad."

"Yeah, well, I'm standing here too." Mal said. "Up to my _pigu_ in death and destruction and things that make no sense. This is just one more crate in the hold. Zoe, let's get to that beacon afore somethin' else eldritch happens to us."

"What beacon?" Madame Li's eyes narrowed.

"The only radio signal on this whole gorram hellhole." Mal said. "Less than ten minutes from where we're standin'. We find that, we maybe get some answers. Or not." He shrugged. "Our luck, it'll eat us. Or try to."

The locator led them into the city; past all manner of cars, some with skeletons at the wheel, to the small landing strip Wash and Mal had seen from the air. The research vessel lay partially tipped over in a long scar on the landing strip.

"Beacon's coming from the ship, sir." Zoe said, stating the obvious. Mal shifted the rifle to a more comfortable grip and led the way into the derelict.

"One heck of a party." Jayne noted. The ship looked as though someone had taken great delight in smashing every single thing that was smashable. They walked deeper into the small ship. Several rooms later River moved to a console and touched the holographic recording cylinder in the player. Looking straight at Madame Li she activated it.

The hologram appeared, and then steadied. It started with what looked like still images. Different parts of the city, different cities. All showing corpses, laying peacefully among various settings. A woman's voice began to speak.

"These are just a few of the images we've recorded, and you can see it isn't...it isn't what we thought. There's been no war here, no terraforming event. The environment is stable."

The images were replaced by the image of a haggard young woman, with rips in her clothing and dirt all over her. She looked like she hadn't slept in a week.

"It's the Pax, the G-32 Paxilon Hydrochlorate that we added to the air processors."

The message continued, cataloging the horror in her exhausted grief-stricken voice. Until the end when she whirled and grabbed a gun, firing off screen then pointing it at her head. Before she could pull the trigger a Reaver was on her, knocking the gun away and savagely bit her face, trying to tear it off with his teeth. He started ripping her clothes, her skin, obviously intending to rape her. Her screams were deafening.

"Turn it off." Jayne said quietly.

River did, then pulled out the cylinder and brought it to Mal. He pocketed it, still sick from what he'd witnessed.

"Anybody here think we should take Madame Li back to the ship with us?" He asked quietly. He looked around. "I'm gonna ask and you are gonna answer, each and every one. You all know what she done, you saw it, and it's all around us. Her _bones_ are lying out there--somehow."

"Zoe." Mal said, looking at her.

"Leave her."

"Jayne."

"Leave her. But not Ying-Tai." Jayne said quietly. There was no swagger now, no bravado.

"Inara."

The Companion blinked several times, and then took a deep breath. "Leave her." She whispered. "Buddha help me, leave her."

"Kaylee."

"Leave her, Captain." Kaylee had tears running down her face, but she was staring hard at Madame Li.

"Wash."

"Leave her." There was no humor in his voice now.

"Book."

"Leave her. And may God have the mercy on her soul I can't give." The preacher's face was anguished.

"Simon."

"Leave her." Simon said, turning away.

"River."

"It's time to go." River said. "Let the ghosts welcome her home."

"Ying-Tai."

"Leave us both, Captain." Ying-Tai said quietly. "And get off this rock before I do something I'll regret."

"May I say something?" Madame Li asked. "A last request."

"You can ask." Mal said gruffly.

"Take Ying-Tai with you. She had no part in this. Ying-Tai, I release you. I still have Parliamentary authorization. I order you to leave with _Serenity_. And--give Captain Reynolds the release codes for his fee."

"What?" Ying-Tai sputtered

Mal stared at her, completely flummoxed.

"She can come, I don't need no bribe." He said, offended.

"It's not a bribe, Captain. It's a penance. A small thing, but I don't seem to have time for more. Give this old woman that, at least."

He nodded. "Let's go, people. Sooner we're off this rock happier I'll be."

They left her in the research vessel. None of them ever saw her again.


	21. Ch 21 Shan Gou

Madame Li came to the entrance of the research vessel when she heard the thunder of _Serenity's_ take off. She watched expressionlessly as the freighter lifted skyward on a pillar of flame.

"Pillar of heaven." She murmured to herself.

"Humans never really knew what to do with fire." A voice, an _impossible_ voice, spoke from the top of the ship behind her. She whirled and looked up.

"Are you a ghost, Shan Gou?" She demanded. "Another impossible thing, to keep watch while I starve?"

"Kai-ying, what an unpleasant place to meet you again." Shan Gou vanished from the top of the ship and appeared next to her. She jumped in spite of herself. The man was tall and had curly black hair. She'd never known him by any name except Shan Gou, but it was obvious he wasn't Chinese. Naturally, he hadn't aged a day in nearly twenty years. It was her delusion. Why shouldn't she remember him the way he was?

"Dear lady, I'm here to make sure you don't starve." He wasn't smiling.

She laughed hollowly. "Here to save me, are you?" There was a cynical cast to her face.

"No." He watched her steadily. "I told you not to use the drug here on Miranda. Why didn't you listen to me?"

She sighed. "The drug was safe. We tested it. Hundreds of subjects, not one side effect. Not so much as a headache. You never said _why, _Shan Gou. There didn't seem to be a reason not to. This was our crowning glory. This colony was to be the model for a new mankind. Paradise, for all time."

"Look around you, Kai-ying. Does this look like Paradise? Besides, humans were never meant for Paradise. They must labor and prosper by the sweat of their brow. Until they earn their place in heaven. There are no shortcuts."

"No, I don't suppose there are. If you aren't here to save me, Shan Gou why are you here? Not that I mind. Dying is very lonely. I must be a coward at heart not to be able to face my death alone."

"You've been condemned by that barbarian Malcolm Reynolds, Kai-ying. You're going to die, and I'm not going to do anything to save you. But for old time's sake I'll give you a just death, a peaceful one. Better than starving, at least."

"What? Will I walk over a cliff in my delusion? Make sure it's a high cliff, then. Please."

"No cliff, Kai-ying. It won't be so quick, but it won't be painful. Are you ready?"

"Ready to die, Shan Gou? Who's ever ready for that?" She retorted. "Still, I can't lie to myself now. I did kill Miranda. And created the Reavers. So many dead. So much pain." She looked at him in sorrow.

"I don't suppose it would help anything to say I truly regret what I did?"

"Only your own conscience." Shan Gou said. "But some humans believe that repentance can aid you in the afterlife."

"What do you say?" She asked, watching solemnly.

"It will be a truly long time before I find out." He said, holding out his hand. She took it.

And blinked, confused. She was standing with Shan Gou in the park where _Serenity_ had landed. There was no sign of the freighter, of course, but the park looked different. In the distance she could hear traffic, and the buildings she could see weren't in ruins.

"What have you _done?_" She asked, although deep down she knew.

"I've given you a just death, Kai-ying. Die well." And Shan Gou vanished.

She knew where she was. She knew how she was going to die. It was impossible, just like everything that had happened in the last two months. With a heavy sigh she choose a comfortable looking patch of grass and laid down to wait.

The first thing that struck her was how the traffic noises faded. A pleasant lethargy was stealing over her, she felt disinclined to move. _So this is how it ends_, she thought. _It could be worse_. As evening settled over the dying world she wondered if she'd see the sunrise. Or even care.

She got to see four sunrises. On the evening of the fifth day she died.


	22. Ch 22 Once You Find Serenity

_Serenity _climbed away from Miranda as she'd climbed away from a thousand other ports of call. The mood on the bridge was somber. Mal and Wash didn't speak as the blue faded to black. They left behind a monster, only Mal couldn't help but remember her telling Ying-Tai to give him the release codes. A penance she'd called it.

He'd killed other men. He'd almost killed Saffron once, in the heat of combat. He'd even executed Crow by kicking him into _Serenity's _engine nacelle. And he hadn't felt like this any of those times. _Was it 'cause she was an old woman?_ He asked himself. _Still, she had blood on her hands. Oceans of it._

Later that day they were having a silent supper. Ying-Tai was the first to finish.

"Captain, I need to speak with you about that recording cylinder." She said, putting down her napkin.

"What about it?" Mal asked, revealing nothing.

"I want it."

"Why?"

"So I can destroy it, of course." She said.

"No." Mal said, picking up his glass.

"No cylinder, no release codes." She said it flatly, ignoring the hostile glances she received from the rest of the crew.

"Don't care." Mal said quietly. She gaped at him.

"Excuse me? There's something like 98,000 credits still in that account, Captain!"

"So?" He looked her in the eyes. "That cylinder's worth more than all the platinum in the whole gorram 'verse. We both know it. Thirty million dead, Ying-Tai. That mean nothin' to you?"

"What do you plan to do with it, Captain? Sell it to the newsfeeds? One little story, swallowed up in the billions of stories coming out every day? It will go nowhere."

"Maybe not." He said somberly. "Still gotta try."

"Why? Because you think it'll make a difference?"

"You're afraid it might." He said shrewdly. "Otherwise you wouldn't care."

"I'm an operative, Captain. A professional. I don't leave things to chance."

"Me neither. Here's how things are going to be. We'll be on Lilac in two days. Way I figure, the instant you're out of our sight you'll hightail it to the nearest authorities like a rabbit runnin' from a fox. Only natural, seein' how you're government and all. Got no beef with that, and had my fill o' death for a while. Won't try to stop you."

"So we're gonna give ourselves a head start. We'll put you down on Lilac a couple of days from the nearest town; give you a week's rations and some water. Then we're gonna head out for parts unknown. I reckon by the time you make it to civilization we'll be done doin' what we're gonna do. That sound fair to you?"

"I'm surprised you're being so generous, Captain." Ying-Tai commented. "What makes you think I won't kill everyone in this room right now and then destroy the cylinder?"

"Because I'll kill you if you try it." River said unexpectedly. "I'm not as big a failure as they led you to believe, _jie-jie. _And I'll know you're going to attack before you do."

"Not to mention there are three people in this room won't hesitate to shoot your oh-so-attractive _pigu_." Mal said sourly. "Can you sit there and tell me Miranda meant nothin'?"

"The Guiding Light made a mistake on Miranda, Captain." Ying-Tai admitted. "Some other faction has made us pay the price for it. With Madame Li dead the Guiding Light is extinguished. But that doesn't mean I'll risk a civil war just to salve your conscience. Another civil war would kill how many, Captain Reynolds? Millions? You want another Shadow, another Miranda?"

"I was born on Shadow, little girl. Lost my mother in the war. On Shadow." Mal said evenly. "Alliance thinks they can make people _better. _Think they know more than God. Well they _don't_. You talk about another civil war. There'd be dead, right enough. Course that ain't the most likely outcome, I'm thinkin'."

"Most likely thing to happen is maybe the Parliament fallin'. Out with the old guard. 'Course they'd get replaced with the new, likely same as the old, just different names and faces. But at least folks woulda been warned. Maybe keep a closer eye on the new bunch."

"And that's why I'm keepin' the cylinder."

"A forlorn hope, Captain."

"Only kind I ever get, Ying-Tai. You gonna be stupid?"

She surveyed the people in the room with a cold, calculating eye. "How do you know I'll keep my parole?"

"I don't. But she will." He nodded at River. "You do not wanna be in her bad graces, trust me. She's killed afore. And she ain't entirely sane. Saw her tear a man's throat out with her bare hand once. You may be a right curly wolf in a fight--but I'd still bet on River."

"All right, Captain. You'll get your head start. We'll see whether that cylinder is dynamite or just a damp squib." She stood up. "If you'll excuse me I want to get some sleep."

Later that night Ying-Tai was awakened by someone standing by her bed. She opened her eyes without moving.

"Hello, Ying-Tai." Madame Li said.

_I'm dreaming._ She thought in a panic.

"You're dead." Years of training kept her voice steady.

"Yes. I died twelve years ago, child." Madame Li said gently. "The Guiding Light is no more and I'm just a memory now. You need to think about what you're going to do with your life. I think you should start over somewhere, stop being an Operative."

"Operatives can't retire, Madame. I told you that a long time ago. Did you forget?"

"No." The old woman smiled. "But great wealth gives one power. With enough power all things are possible."

Ying-Tai shook her head.

"Tomorrow morning I will wake in this bed. You will still be dead, and I will still be an operative of the Parliament." Ying-Tai said softly.

"Is that what you want, _xiao Cheng?_"

"What I want is immaterial, Madame." Ying-Tai answered. "It changes nothing."

Madame Li studied her and then spoke.

"In the railing of my bunk, at the foot, is a small device. It contains the codes needed to access several secret accounts I prepared against a day like this. Take it. Use those funds and start a new life for yourself. Remember, the right railing, up against the mattress."

"And take this, so you will believe." Madame Li removed the cheap necklace she'd been wearing when they left her and draped it over Ying-Tai's head.

"My death was peaceful, Ying-Tai. There was no pain. It was better than I deserved. So do this for me. I ask this not as your employer, but as your friend. Take this chance and vanish. Live, marry, and have children. There has been enough death for both of us."

"Now, sleep, _baobei Ying-Tai_." Madame Li stepped backward, into the shadow, and faded away. Ying-Tai felt herself falling into sleep, in spite of her best efforts.

"_Zai jian, Li Kai-Ying._" She murmured, fighting the sleep. A tear leaked from one eye.

She woke with a start, remembering her dream. The clock said it was morning; she'd slept nearly nine hours. She stretched and got up, thinking about her employer. She turned on the light and blinked, staring into the small mirror mounted on the wall.

Her scream brought Book running with Zoe and Simon not far behind.

"_Gui! Jing tian dwohn di! Gui Li Kai-ying de!_" She was babbling. She grabbed Book by the arms. Her face was slack from shock.

"It's all right, Ying-Tai, calm down please calm _down_. _Fang xin._" Book said, guiding her to her bunk and urging her to sit.

Ying-Tai visibly collected herself. "Madame Li was here last night." She said finally.

"Child, she's back on Miranda." Book said, his face creased in pain.

"I know. She's dead. She said she'd been dead for twelve years."

"It was just a dream." Simon said, coming forward. "A nightmare."

"No, it might have been a dream but it wasn't a nightmare." Her smile was half sad, half happy.

"But _this_ is a nightmare." She pulled off the necklace around her neck and thrust it at Simon. He took it by reflex.

"_Wo de ma._"Zoe breathed, backing up half a step before she could control herself.

"What?" Simon asked.

"It's Madame Li's necklace." Ying-Tai said. "The one she was wearing when we left her."

"That's impossible." Simon said. "It can't be."

"It is." Zoe said. "I recognize it. Won't ever mistake it after finding it on that skeleton."

"Madame Li put it around my neck last night." Ying-Tai said. "In my dream."

"What did she say?" Simon asked. "In your dream I mean."

Ying-Tai hesitated.

"Private things. She came to say good-bye." The Chinese woman finally said.

"Come to the dining room. This changes things." Zoe said. "We ain't clear of this ghost story yet."

"Let me get dressed. I'll be there in a moment." Ying-Tai demurred.

"Be quick." Zoe said tightly as the three crewmembers left. Ying-Tai closed the door and swiftly moved to Madame Li's bunk, feeling along the rail, under the mattress. Her fingers found a cool smooth box. She pulled it out to reveal a standard code token, used to access bank accounts and other secure materials.

Dressing quickly she slipped the token in an inner pocket. Then she went to join the gathering in the dining room. When she arrived most of the crew had already assembled, except for Jayne and Inara.

"You wanna explain this?" Mal said, holding up the necklace.

"Madame Li put it around my neck last night."

"That ain't possible. You know that, right?" Mal demanded.

"You asked me, Captain. I know it's impossible."

Inara came in, yawning. "What's impossible?"

"Seems we had us a visitor in the night." Mal said to her. He held up the necklace. Inara's eyes widened.

"Is that--" She said, then shook her head.

"Yeah, it is." Mal said. "And yeah, it ain't possible. Lessen she bought two o' these?" He asked Ying-Tai hopefully.

The woman shook her head. "No, only the one. And I recognize it, she wore it every day. She said she liked it. It was a good luck piece."

"Darn." Mal said, laying the necklace on the table. "What'd I tell you, Zoe? Sucks you in and never lets go. Wash, how far are we from Lilac?"

"About seven hours. We got enough fuel I could probably cut that in half." Wash offered, eyeing the cheap necklace with the same expression he'd give a poisonous snake.

"Temptin'. But we may need that fuel. She say anything give you the impression she'd be comin' back?" Mal asked the woman.

"No. She's not coming back." Ying-Tai said with certainty. "She came to say good-bye. The necklace was to remember her by."

"You're lying." River said dreamily, looking at the necklace. "She gave it to you so you'd believe her."

"Some things you should leave alone, _mei-mei_." Ying-Tai said firmly. "It was private. Please honor me and keep it that way."

"Ok." River said. She lost interest, turning on the couch so she could stare out the windows high above. Mal glanced at her quizzically, and then shrugged.

"This change your plans any?" He asked Ying-Tai. She nodded.

"Yes, Captain. Here's the release codes for your fee." She handed him a different coder than the one she'd found under Madame Li's bunk. "Good luck with that recording cylinder. And I want the necklace back."

"Take the thing. Gives me the creepy-crawlies anyway." Mal said. Ying-Tai put the necklace back on.

"I think I've decided on a nice, long vacation." She said.

"She lyin', River?" Mal asked.

"Not the way you mean." River answered cryptically

"Never a straight answer with this girl." Mal complained. He looked at Ying-Tai and sighed, letting all the air escape in a rush.

"All right. We let you off on Lilac, food, water, and directions to the closest town. Even give you a gun. I got nothin' against you; you ain't hurt me or mine. You're a pretty girl and all, so don't take it the wrong way when I say I hope our paths never cross again."

"No offense taken, Captain. You'll never see me again, and that's best for both of us." Ying-Tai nodded. "Let me know when we reach Lilac." She left for her quarters.

"Anybody wanna bet we ain't out o' the woods yet?" Mal said.

"No bet, sir. You were right about ghost stories." Zoe said, shivering.

"Where's Jayne?" Mal said. "Ain't like him to miss a chance to see Ying-Tai."

"You don't think the ghost got him, do you?" Wash asked, brightening. Zoe gave him a look that just made him grin wider.

"Ghosts ain't that accomodatin'. He's probably still snorin' in his bunk." Mal snorted.

"Ain't ghosts supposed to be vengeful-like?" Kaylee asked, still unsure if she believed in Madame Li's ghost or not.

"Well, Madame Li's got no kick comin'." Mal said. "She done got a whole 'verse of repentin' to do first. We'll be dust long afore she settles that debt."

"What do you think really happened?" Book asked. "Where did Ying-Tai get that necklace? I was the first one on the scene. She was terrified--and I don't think she was acting."

"Dunno preacher. Seems like ghosts would be more in your line than mine." Mal said, but he looked thoughtful. "Maybe Madame Li gave it to her, to remember her by?"

"No." Inara said. "Ying-Tai left before me, and Madame Li was still wearing it. I remember because she had the old one still in her hand and I wondered how the same necklace could be in two places at once."

"Well, however it is, we go to Lilac, and after we drop off Ying-Tai and refuel, we finish this."

"How, sir?" Zoe asked. "We ain't in a position to challenge the Alliance. She's right. Put it on a news-feed and it'll get swallowed up in the noise."

"You let me worry 'bout that." Mal said. "Wash just get us to Lilac afore more ghosts show up."

Remarkably, _Serenity _made it to Lilac, dropped off Ying-Tai, refueled, and escaped the moon without incident.

"Where to now, boss?" Wash asked.

"Mr. Universe." Mal said. "As I recall his moon's circling Beaumonde, yes?"

"Yep. Should I call ahead?"

"No, I want our visit kept quiet. Fireworks'll start not too long after. Wanna be well away first."

"You're gonna use Mr. Universe to transmit the recording." Wash said, comprehension spreading over his face. "You are an evil genius, Mal. Absolutely _gao gan_."

"I figure those transmitters of his can swamp the whole 'verse. After that, ain't none of the Parliament gonna be able to crawl under a rock." Mal said.

So _Serenity _paid a little visit to Mr. Universe, who watched the recording and in a fit of techno-geek rage plotted his own vengeance. It would, he said, take a day or so to ready his forces. By which time _Serenity _was headed on to Pelorum where Mal and Inara had a long-delayed date for dinner. By the time _Serenity _reached the resort world in three weeks, it would all be over--for good or ill.

Mr. Universe worked late into the night, coding and testing and retesting. After a marathon coding session it was complete.

His masterpiece. A delivery system fit for the precious payload Mal had brought him from Miranda. He pressed the send key and took Lenore to bed.

As the love-bot and her owner played age-old games his delivery virus was spreading across the system. And everywhere it touched it left a part of itself. A part which grew and multiplied and sent out its own messages.

The messages sat in mail boxes throughout the Chara system, hidden away. They sat in the communications systems of every planet. They sat in the personal computers of every citizen. Within 12 hours the virus had done its job.

And at the stroke of noon in Sihnon's capital city the payload was delivered.

_"These are just a few of the images..."_

Millions and millions of video players, mail in-boxes, radios, deep space transmitters, all transmitting the same pictures, the same words, across the Core worlds and the outer planets. To the teeming billions that made up the Chara system.

On Miranda a solitary figure stood by a yellowed skeleton, curly black hair catching the breeze. He was listening to all the radio signals racing through space, and seeing the shock and horror building on the faces of the populace.

"Well, Kai-ying my _xingan,_ this mess is finally exposed. Maybe now things will be different. If only you had _listened_ to me all this could have been avoided." He sighed. "Humans. So utterly predictable. Why do I even bother?"

Kneeling, he touched the skull with tender hands. "Good-bye. Rest in peace, _qing ren_." Standing, he vanished. Around Chara dozens of worlds listened as the grisly message reached its horrific completion.

And, deep in space, _Serenity_ kept flying.


End file.
